Freedom means many things to many people. More and more freedom means freedom to communicate, to connect and to participate in the global economy and the global experience like at no other time in the history of the world. And further, freedom means freedom from wires: freedom from the umbilical cord tying you down and keeping you in one place.

In this globally connected world of ours your "pen pal" might be in Bogota. The company that buys your next bushel of grain might be in Beijing. You may be welcoming people from Berlin to your bed and breakfast in Carroll County. Or, your next job just might be a commute across the informatin highway to a company on another continent that pays you electronically for your services.

But do not be fooled, in a world increasingly measured by what is called "broadband penetration", a term roughly meaning how many of us can connect to the Internet at high speed, the US is ranked 20th and if there were a special category for rural counties we would be even farther behind! This is not a position with which the country who set the first man on the moon is comfortable.

Forget how we got here: Wireless Freedom is not about where we have been but, rather, it is about where we are going. The Obama Adminstration has made billions of dollars available for what we know as the "stimulus package". What many Americans don't know is that a substantial amount of that stimulus money is set aside to assist the US in catching up in the broadband race. It is the mission of the Carroll County Wireless Broadband Initiative to assure that we get our fair share of funding to enhance our communities, our educational and business opportunities, the services to our citizens and the bright future of Carroll County. To find out what all of us can do read on. Discover more about what you can do, as a member of government, as a leader of a civic association, organization or non-profit service, as a citizen or as a business owner. And, to see the leaders in our community who have already signed up as a part of the Carroll County Wireless Broadband Initiative, click here. Maybe you should join us? Maybe you can be a patriot of the broadband era: there are roles for every citizen of Carroll County, and rewards, as well.

Every citizen, every organization, every business in Carroll County has a role they can play and a stake in the outcome. Here are several ways in which each of us can get involved and make a difference.

• Want a bright, connected wireless future for Carroll County? Write an email, get a discount. Do it now!
• Can't get high speed Internet service where you live or work? Write an email, get a discount. Do it now!
• Willing to let us put an antenna on your property? Let us build it, get free service. Do it now!
• Willing to help us sign up the neighbors? Sign 'em up, get a check. Do it now!

Join the cause today. Join the Carroll County Wireless Broadband Initiative and play an active role in the future, and freedom, of Carroll County.