At its October meeting, the Infrastructure Committee reviewed broadband in downtown Hyannis and how it will impact Hyannis and the Cape. The Infrastructure Committee feels Cape Cod needs to keep pace with the digital economy in order to remain relevant economically. In addition, there’s a growing awareness here of the Blue Economy. The question is, what do we do with the challenge ahead of us?
Which brought us to the question of sharks, and how the Technology Council may assist in the technological aspects of prevention and response. We discussed the process of providing assistance, if there is a role for us. One representative recently attended a National Seashore advisory committee meeting, and another attended a Wellfleet town meeting. As a committee, we know about broadband deployment, and how technology is being used in other coastal regions. Issues specific to the Cape are connectivity at the beaches and public safety.
Committee members suggested an interactive seashore as a potential part of Cape Cod’s brand. While we are not going to turn our back on tourism, there are ways to connect the training and research initiatives to tourism, including a Blue version of the Freedom Trail under development with the Blue Economy Foundation.
To move forward, the Infrastructure Committee is assembling a sub-committee to accumulate information in order to be a resource to the towns, if there are questions. If you have expertise and/or would like to participate, please contact the committee.