A tiny Oregon city has already built its own gigabit Internet

[Commentary] Unlike the Portland (OR) Metro, which has been selected as one of nine cities nationally being considered for Google Fiber, Independence (OR) already has a gigabit-speed municipal broadband network that it built with neighboring Monmouth (OR). This network, which is called MINET, has been in operation for eight years. As more cities start to invest in technology infrastructure to foster economic development and address issues of digital access and inclusion, the efforts of Independence are worth watching.

[Skip Newberry is President of the Technology Association of Oregon]