Wireless broadband "hot zones" utilizing new Motorola mesh canopy technology will give the historically agrarian communities in Greene County a way to adapt to a changing economy through increased agriculture and non-agriculture related entrepreneurial opportunities, job training and professional development, and computer access. The project will springboard from the iTech laptop home computer project launched in the fall of 2003 for more than 1,500 middle and high school students in the county. The iTech project has opened the door for technology access to a populace that would otherwise be left behind.
The project will take the next step to expand network access from students to the larger Greene County population. DSL service and T-l lines are available to less than 8% of the population. Dial up service is cost prohibitive and slow. By providing reduced-cost wireless service throughout the county in centrally located hot zones, Greene County workers can take advantage of online opportunities to increase their personal and professional skill levels, and consequently, their economic situation.
With this new technology and online applications, farmers will be able to link with North Carolina State University Cooperative Extension to identify new crop markets, purchase and sell equipment, inquire about new production methods and learn best management practices through online communications with farmers around the world. Prospective entrepreneurs will be able to connect via Internet hot zones to investigate product markets, learn about new technologies and connect to a variety of local, state, and federal services. Greene County residents will be able to assess their current skill sets and link to resources to build skills in careers outside the tobacco industry. In addition, the Greene County Industrial Park, which is being developed in cooperation with the North Carolina Department of Commerce, will gain an essential telecommunications service that will further enhance the county's ability to provide "shovel-ready" economic development sites.
