Wyoming governor marks growth in tech sector
Governor Marks Growth in Tech Sector and Infrastructure
Governor Matt Mead continues to push for expansion of Wyoming’s technology sector. This has been an ongoing initiative for Governor Mead who sees great potential for more data centers to locate in Wyoming. He also believes that creating more access to high-speed internet will create more opportunities for businesses and individuals alike.
“As we see where we are today compared to where we were a few years ago I think we have made significant strides,” Governor Mead said. He notes that at the beginning of 2013 there were 95 Ethernet sites at Wyoming schools. Heading into this school year there are 170 additional sites. Ethernet sites increase data download and upload capabilities.
“When I took office we had two cities that had Ethernet at schools. We now have that capacity in schools in 27 more towns and cities in Wyoming and many new educational opportunities for students and teachers come with it,” Governor Mead said.
Expanding high-speed internet access to schools means more access to the same technologies are available for private individuals and companies as well. Governor Mead is waiting to see the October revenue forecast, but he is considering asking the Legislature to fund a unified network. That network would be a series of fiber optic connections for state government buildings and schools. The build out would mean even faster, more reliable internet connections for all.
“Our students need reliable and high-speed internet connections to have access to the same information as students on the other side of the globe,” Governor Mead said. “The state, through the unified network, can bring this infrastructure to rural communities so they can have the best connections for education, health care, communications and other purposes. This network would be built by Wyoming broadband providers and would be another way to support the investments these companies have already made.”
Governor Mead is also hosting the 2nd annual Wyoming Broadband Summit on October 29th. This summit will build on last year’s summit and encourage broadband innovation and growth. Recently, Governor Mead attended the groundbreaking for an expansion of Green House Data in Cheyenne. That company is building a new 35,000 square foot data center facility. Governor Mead continues to support incentives for data centers, which are a great fit for Wyoming’s economy, geography and climate.
