Vidalia Moves Ahead With New Technology Center, Big Pipe Across the Mississippi

When we last checked in with Vidalia, the Louisiana town of 4,300 had implemented free Wi-Fi in its new municipal complex. In October, the community began constructing the Vidalia Technology Center (VTC), as reported by MyArkLaMiss.com

The VTC will be at the site of former city hall office. The new facility will serve as entrepreneur incubation space in addition to housing infrastructure for the city's future fiber network. With Senator Mary Landrieu's help, Vidalia secured a $1.2 million grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration to build the VTC. The City is providing 35% matching funds.

The current key to better connectivity in Vidalia is a connection across the Mississippi River. The Natchez Democrat reports that the City obtained a permit to run a fiber backbone across the U.S. 84 Mississippi River bridge. Apparently, the Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) does not normally allow the installation of utilities on bridges it controls. 

The City has been working on obtaining permission for almost two years. Another Natchez Democrat article reports:

According to minutes from the Mississippi Transportation’s Oct. 28 meeting, “the … rules require the city to provide justification of a hardship in writing and explain why alternative routes are not viable, which the City of Vidalia has done."

A connection across the Mississippi has been a significant obstacle for Vidalia as it planned its municipal network. While connecting facilities within the community may not have been a problem, without a connection to the outside world, the municipal network was not nearly as valuable.

Community leaders plan to eventually bring gigabit fiber service to every premise in Vidalia, a place where reliable connectivity for residents, businesses, and anchor institutions is lacking. The network will also encompass smart-grid technology. They also see the critical nature of economic development possibilities. From the MyArkLaMiss.com story:

The mayor says the center is necessary to bring modern technology, as well as more business and more industry to Vidalia.

Mayor Copeland says they were losing young entrepreneurs who couldn't operate their businesses without the right connectivity.

"Young entrepreneurs now can come to Vidalia and connect to the world  with the high speed internet system that we're going to have in Vidalia," he said.

...

"We will be able to tell the industries coming to Vidalia, we will be able to furnish you and connect you to the world," he said.

You can watch the MyArkLaMiss.com story here: