Letters to the Editor: Just say no to BPW's broadband proposal

Just say no to BPW's broadband proposal

There are some very good reasons the BPW's broadband proposal is a really bad idea for Holland. Please do your homework and read the fine print before voting for this.

The BPW touts high speed, 1 Gig service and dangle it like some magical new pixie-dust technology. First, 1 Gig is already available from multiple providers like T-Mobile, Xfinity, Verizon and others. It’s been around for some time and it’s very affordable. They’ll even provide you a cute, compact 1 Gig tabletop unit for free. Just plug in and go.

Second, don’t waste your money. Most complaints about "slow" internet are due to your own aging personal equipment. Unless you have 5 or 6 kids all playing high-speed video games at the same time, few residential users ever need 1 Gig speed.

The biggest problem with this millage proposal is the price. It is a massive property tax in the middle of a terrible economy and high inflation. The tax bill for a typical residential property owner in Holland would run around $12.50 per month. That’s more than I pay for my satellite radio! And it’s not for a year or three years or 10 years, but an eye-popping 25 years. Do the math. It adds up to a gut-churning $2,800.

But wait, there is much more. Your $12.50 per month — for the next 25 years — only pays to attach the cables to their poles on the street. If you then want to connect those wires to your house, it will cost you another $480. And then, if you want to actually use BPW fiber optics and subscribe to their service, they’ll pick your empty pocket for an additional $40+ per month. It’s like the worst time-share nightmare ever.

The technology they’re asking you to subsidize will almost certainly be obsolete long before your 25-year tax is paid off. Remember FAX machines, cassette tapes, VCRs, CD and DVD players, iPods, brick-size cell phones, DSL outlets and Windows XP? And while the world goes wireless, the BPW wants to hang more cables on telephone poles.

Thankfully, Traverse City and Marshall have played “guinea pig’ on this fiber-optic fad in Michigan. By any fair evaluation those experiments have been abject failures. Nationwide results are similar. Say "no" to this needless tax.

Thomas Volkema

Holland

Fight for the fundamental right of a woman's right to choose

I am devastated by the recent Supreme Court Decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. This action by the court has put a woman’s reproductive rights in jeopardy by taking the decision out of her hands and putting it in the hands of politicians.

Regardless of how we personally feel about abortion, a woman must be able to make her own decisions regarding her body, especially when it involves becoming a parent — one the biggest decisions anyone can make. As the Pracharak at West Michigan Hindu Temple, I am grateful to belong to a spiritual community that fully respects a woman’s reproductive decisions and the prudent advice given by her physicians.

Overturning Roe v. Wade has led to trigger laws going into effect in nine states, with legislatures around the country working to enact bans and even give financial rewards to report strangers they suspect may have had an abortion or used certain methods of birth control. The next step is to make fertility treatments illegal.

While no laws like this have been passed in Michigan, some lawmakers seem eager to enact laws that will take away a woman’s right to an abortion, leading to their imprisonment, as well as the imprisonment of their provider.

I want to emphasize abortion is still legal in Michigan, protected by an injunction, thanks to the lawsuit filed by Gov. Whitmer in April. To move forward we need clarity from the Michigan Supreme Court to guide us in these uncertain and confusing times. Every day we do not hear from the court, more risk is placed on women’s lives and health. I encourage everyone to get active and make their voices heard because we all need to fight to protect this fundamental right.

Fred Stella, Pracharak (Outreach Minister)

Grand Rapids

Disappointed and encouraged

They canceled the event. When I first learned that the League of Women Voters of Holland Area had canceled their Candidate Meet and Greet event scheduled for June 29, I was disappointed. I was looking forward to hearing my friend, Seth Getz, discuss issues with our former mayor, Nancy DeBoer. But it takes two people to hold a discussion, and one was not willing to participate.

So instead, I spent three evenings walking around West Michigan with Seth Getz and his kids as he knocked on doors and invited people to share their concerns. He told me he has knocked on more than 10,000 voters’ doors; and, of those voters who were home, more than 2,000 engaged in conversation.

I witnessed more than a dozen of those conversations. They did not reflect what I see on social media. Holland-area voters are thoughtful, friendly, and appreciative. They are concerned about the lack of mental health professionals in general and especially in our schools, support for our teachers, common sense gun safety legislation, a healthier foster care system, affordable housing, stronger protections for natural resources, and access to high-speed internet. In short, they are concerned not only for their own well-being, but also the well-being of their neighbors.

My time spent with Seth was encouraging. He thoughtfully engaged votes, and they responded in kind. This is how politics is supposed to work.

Steve VanderVeen

Holland

Downtown fiber internet a game changer for businesses

As downtown business owners, we've experienced Holland BPW's Fiber Internet service firsthand. It has been a game changer.

Retail businesses aren't offline. They need a reliable internet connection for credit cards, phones, online storefronts, and take-out orders. Anyone who tried to use a cell phone during a Tulip Time parade knows cell networks don't cut it. BPW's reliability and local customer service (humans you can talk to) beats the competition by a mile.

Marketing companies spend the day uploading giant images and videos. Gigabit upload speeds make this feel instantaneous, instead of arduous. This becomes a competitive advantage.

Tech companies connect to people and computers worldwide. Fast, reliable access gives them an edge and improves their own services. Downtown has become "sticky" for companies who can't get a connection this good elsewhere.

Shared workspaces need enough bandwidth for an office full of people. It only takes a few video calls and downloads to saturate a typical ISP.

Before BPW's downtown project, many of us tried to find better options. The big ISPs talk a good game, but can't deliver at reasonable prices. BPW's system is a community asset worthy of expansion.

COVID-19 forced us to work from home, where we immediately missed our BPW internet. Zoom calls were less reliable. Files took longer to upload. We pay more at home than we do downtown, for lower-quality service.

We also live here, as do our employees. We want future employees to also choose Holland.

We encourage everyone to vote "yes!" on Aug. 2.

I have a right to vote Republican in the primary

Geri McCaleb, former mayor of Grand Haven and the Ottawa County GOP have criticized, and subsequently censured county commissioners who are accepting support of non-Republicans in the August primary.

I am a moderate independent. There is no Democrat running in the Ninth District of the county. If I want to use my constitutionally guaranteed right to vote for a candidate who I believe will best address my concerns, I must vote in the Republican primary. I did not vote in races I would never vote for the candidate in November. I left those races blank. The fact is the August primary will determine who the Ninth’s commissioner will be and I believe I have the duty to participate.

And yes, I remembered you can’t flip and flop from the party ballot in August. I did what was right for me.

I am a veteran and a retired civilian from the Department of Defense. I grew up in a Goldwater Republican house have voted for Republicans, Democrats, and Independents since my first vote in 1975. I never thought I would see a day when a major party would ignore parts of the Constitution they don’t like and yet here we are.

Linda McAffrey

Grand Haven

Vote for Seth Getz for state representative

I am proud to cast my vote for Seth Getz for state representative.

Seth is, first and foremost, a man of integrity. In the years I’ve known and worked with Seth, I’ve always seen him live out the values he espouses. Additionally, Seth is a thoughtful listener … he asks questions and really works to understand others’ perspectives, whether or not they match his own.

This is important to me in a representative. I want to know that I will be heard when I have concerns or ideas. Seth is also an innovator. He will work hard to find new solutions to problems facing our state and our region. Seth’s commitment to strong families, love of neighbor, and opportunity for all will guide the way he approaches his work as our state representative.

If you want to be represented by a person of integrity who will listen and innovate, I encourage you to vote for Seth Getz.

Brenda Vander Meulen

Holland

This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Letters to the Editor: Just say no to BPW's broadband proposal