Broadband to bring North Shore up to date

The North Shore's origins are glacial, which pretty much describes the speed of the Internet.

"We need to reboot three times a day," Barb Heideman said. Add tourists with their iPads and laptops, what bandwidth there is might as well be beef jerky, "and no one can get anything done."

That should change this summer when high-speed broadband arrives in Cook County. The project has taken years, partly because of the rocky landscape in which the fiber optic cables must be laid.

"It's not Iowa," said Jim Boyd, executive director of the Cook County Chamber of Commerce. "But we've started lighting up the west end of the county and hope to be all lit by the end of the year."

Expectations are great. If people can work remotely, that may fuel tourism among those who must stay in touch with the office, as well as satisfy kids used to being connected. Young people who've learned that geography needn't be destiny could have jobs based elsewhere, yet live Up North.

Boyd hears of "seasonals" who say they'll move here for good with broadband. He and others are working on job opportunities, such as contact centers for businesses nationwide.

"Now, these are not jobs that will get anybody wealthy, but if they're year-round and have some benefits and a chance for vacation, that can make a difference," he said. To serve the many local artists, there could be better Web marketing and centers for receiving and shipping orders.

For retiree Heideman and her husband, Duane Hasegawa, broadband would let them stream Netflix, as if they still lived in Falcon Heights.

Or, at least they'd know it was an option.

Kim Ode • 612-673-7185