" DSL IS NOT AVAILABLE in Aurora. It is not an option. Cable and Satellite can be had -- but at $30-$40 or more a month (when you can get dial-up for $7.95-$20 a month) is not what I'd call affordable -- esp. if I worked at Wells where the salaries are piddly. Verizon says they are never going to bring DSL to the Aurora area but that (after waiting years for DSL), we now have to wait for them to bring fiber optic down from the Thruway. My ISP guy thinks they'll bring DSL after all, but I'll believe it when I see it. But I agree in this much -- even if it were partially funded by the Feds (which is still taxpayer money), I don't like the idea of the people behind this move pulling the strings of such a critically important communications channel -- I would not feel comfortable with Village-run wireless and will stick with my dial-up. "

" Stay with roadrunner for high speed or DSL. Do not get wireless is my vote. but then LETS SPENT $$$$ in Aurora and screw over the taxpayer. The village does not need to get in to this now. I would never trust it. Sad to say. - Rowland/village and the internet forget it. You 2 George. Or will this push you harder? "

" Don't people come to Aurora to get away from things like their cell phones, blackberry devices, and laptops? Do visitors to this town really have a strong desire to be able to check their e-mail on their laptop from the Fargo? Internet access is a wonderful resource, but I don't see wireless, pervasive, relentless "wiredness" as being an asset, especially to a town like Aurora. "

" " Let Rowland buy the internet service, George, just like she has bought you. " "

" So long as Ken is the one in charge of e-mail at Wells, you can feel safe the mail is not being read. He is the most ethical and honest person I have ever known and has strong opinions on the subject of preserving privacy of e-mails as well as academic freedoms. He truly walks the walk he talks -- a good man. But as the college takes more and more control of network services out of his hands and puts them into the hands of outside consultants (most of whom are cronies of Lisa's one way or another), that confidence in privacy and security is eroded. I've been away long enough now I am no longer familiar with the network layout, but in conversations with friends who are still there, I know that bit by bit those services have been getting farmed out to outsiders and the network manager has less and less say in the running of the network. What that means for services in the whole Village I am not sure, but the interface between the two is so intertwined that what happens in one arena will surely affect the other. "

" What if, by chance, this "idea" actually went through? Would those of us who don't want this "utility" still have to pay for it? If it's as reliabile a service as the other village services, forget it. I'll stick with Time Warner. "

" Thanks for your insight, poster answering about internet security. It is widely believed that the college administration has faculty & staff emails at the Wells sifted and read for *dissident* content. Yes, the college owns the server and therefore the emails belong to them and they have the right; but is it *right* in the ethical sense and in terms of academic free-speech? In any event, the spy mentality seems entrenched at the college could easily carry over into any village wireless internet system. "

" The question is: Can an e-mail server administrator read all the e-mails going through the server? Answer: Possibly. A lot depends on how the system is set up, but more depends on the integrity of the administrator. A systems administrator has to have "super user" priveledges -- i.e. has to be able to get into every part of the system in order to keep it running, fix problems, monitor logfiles for potential security threats, etc. And, yes, every piece of mail passes through that server on its way to the destination computer. If the end user accesses his/her e-mail via a program like MS Outlook Express, the mail is downloaded off the server onto the user's machine, then deleted off the server -- which is safer for the end user and means less overhead for the administrator (who doesn't have to provide a lot of storage space for each user's mail). Your mail is only on the server from the time it arrives until you download it, then it is gone. However, if the end user accesses his/her e-mail via webmail, then the mail is stored on that server all the time. While the usual scenario is that the individual end users have their own passwords, sometimes the sys admin keeps a file of those passwords (in case the user needs help), sometimes not, but in either case, there's a backdoor way the admin can get into the mail. In an ethically run system, the sys admin just doesn't do that without it being utterly necessary and usually only when the user is aware of it -- may even have requested assistance. But it would be nothing for an unethical sys admin to get into people's mail. I know I have had to talk to the sys admin at my Internet Service Provider and that they know my password without my telling it to them -- we've worked together to solve problems that way a few times. But I TRUST them not to look at my mail -- in that case, the volume is so much I am sure they don't have time -- or interest -- to be reading everyone's mail. But, in Aurora, with its limited user base and with certain parties I most definitely would NOT trust not to read the mail, particularly of certain individuals -- that is just one of many potential problems. The other big security problem with wireless in general is that it is floating in the air. You can secure network transmissions fairly well when they are running over a physical cable -- you can put the cables in the wall or ceiling or in a closet -- in securable physical spaces. But wireless everywhere and can't be physically secured. If people take the time to turn on encryption and other security features, there is some measure of security, though it will slow down transmission speeds (which remain slower than via physical cable -- fiber optic being the fastest). Just a few years ago there arose a phenomenon called "war driving." With just about $200-$300 in hardware, and decryption/hacking software downloaded off the internet, a person could drive around with this rig in his/her car and hack into systems in nearby buildings. Amazing numbers of businesses had all kinds of sensitive info stolen this way -- because basically wireless is just not secure by nature. And those are just two of the network security issues with this whole proposal -- there are many more for which there is not space here and now. "

" If wireless was put in Aurora. And I say if. Would they whoever ran it (the village/or even PR). Could they not look at every email, internet site anyone that uses it has been to? But it would be the reading of emails on the server that would not sit right with me. (sounds like BUSH) Anyone know if this would be true. "

" Aurora Resident: Careful what you wish for (when you say "Let Rowland buy the internet service, George, just like she has bought you.") -- you might just get it. Then Pleasant would control one of people's more critical communication channels in addition to nearly all the businesses in town. Bad enough she is getting to control the Post Office space and the Village Offices. (But, heck, why not -- she already controls most of the Village OfficeRs!) "

" I hope, Techno-savvy, if your explanation does not appear here, you'll send it to admin@aurorany.org so the community can benefit from your expertise. As far as I'm concerned, a *no brainer* appeals to people with no brains. There is much to question in this proposal. "

" And you thought people talking on their cell phones were dangerous? Wait until they are driving down the street, checking their email! "

" Let Rowland buy the internet service, George, just like she has bought you. "

" You all cannot even image the problems such a project would cause. I wrote a whole long explanation previously, and the Citizen website said it was posted -- but now it isn't here. If I have time later, I'll go into it all over again -- but there's a whole lot more to technology projects than your average public official knows or even has a clue -- and a lot of problems with wireless, particularly security, but also in terms of the overlap with the college, with long-term maintenance and support, etc. Really, this has all the earmarks of election-year pie-in-the-sky naivite -- a boondoggle just waiting to inflict itself on this small village. If you had anyone who REALLY knew about technology advising you, you'd be putting on the brakes and taking a step back to consider all the ramifications which aren't obvious in the only-the-benefits-without-mention-of-the-pitfalls presentation in this article. "

" Municipal internet access as a "an added incentive for people to visit Aurora and its businesses" and enjoy free wireless service? Should residents pay for this service through their taxes in order to enhance Rowland's floundering tourist traps? I think not. "

" There already is high-speed access in Aurora. Anyone can get it from Time Warner. The question is should it be provided as a municipal service? "

" No brainer. This IS the way to keep connected. Young people will not stay, new people won't come, and new business will not move in without high-speed internet access in rural areas. "