Verde News - VV regional broadband cooperative focused

VERDE VALLEY, NM -- In the 20 years since the World Wide Web was launched in 1990, the "net" has grown so rapidly that it has become a key system for commerce, entertainment and instruction. Verde Valley governments and others hope to make sure this region is not left behind in the future of the net.

There now are millions of web sites and billions of web pages in every language. The Internet is so pervasive that you can connect with a hand-held phone walking down the street or from a screen built into the refrigerator. Many homes now have multiple computer systems and we throwing out old ones like a discarded appliance.

Those without the connection are threatened with being left in the "dark ages," and the "net" even threatens to put paper products, like newspapers and magazines to bed. Part of the America Recovery and Revitalization Act is aimed at closing the "digital divide" between those who are "online" and those that are not...