Laguna Beach is undergrounding power lines, Internet service (Cox), and Verizon phone lines. It must be done right to meet the needs of current and future residents who need internet speeds much greater than are being provided today.
Laguna Beach must have high speed internet if it is going to attract affluent long term residents. The young people who work from home must have high speed internet service or they will live where it is available. This makes Laguna house prices go up. Google is installing 100-times faster internet service in Irvine.
Cell phones are a must just for safety reason. No matter where you are, a push of a button calls 911. So once you have a cell phone, land lines are not really needed. The cell phone’s features and cost are making land lines more obsolete every day; a project started today would be finished after land lines become obsolete.
The citizens could just get rid of Verizon’s land lines and save over $2 million a year. So why are the citizens thinking of paying to have them undergrounded.
It would also be nice to have the people select a streetlight that fits our village. It turns out Laguna does not even own the street lights.
Undergrounding is acceptable if it is done with thought and concern for the citizens. The citizens must demand the city council look to the future.
Herb Rabe, Laguna Beach
