Schultz is hearing the question from people ’stuck with dial-up’ internet service or with parents or friends living in a rural area where reliable broadband service is not available or not affordable.

To answer everyone’s questions, Schultz (R-Richland Center) has just released an update on broadband developments. Schultz calls his broadband initiative “Universal Broadband for a Rural Region” or UBER for short. Find the report on his website at http://broadband.senatordaleschultz.com.

Schultz’s UBER Update covers several broadband plans relevant to this region. The plans, submitted in August, seek some of the $7.2 billion in federal stimulus funds to extend broadband to unserved and underserved rural regions.

Plans were submitted by entities in Reedsburg, Hilbert, Little Chute, Richland Center, and Madison. At least one of the plans would cover every county of this region.

Schultz says a senior citizen could benefit the most from broadband even if he or she never turns on a computer. He explains that health care equipment that requires broadband may enable a person to continue living in their home.

“As government closes more offices and shifts service delivery to the internet, each taxpayer benefits from the savings,” said Schultz. “But government has an obligation to help make those internet services available to all taxpayers.”

Schultz said broadband benefits a worker that can work from home during a flu outbreak, school closure and inclement weather. Broadband helps a student of any age do homework, improve work skills, and be a life-long learner.

“When broadband saves traveling, everyone benefits from less traffic and less air pollution,” Schultz said.

In Muscoda, from 8:30 to 9:00 a.m., Schultz will be at Foggy Bottom Woodworks on Industrial Drive, to meet with owner Rick Tisdale. Dale will be thanking Tisdale for being an entrepreneur and growing his business here.

In Blue River, from 9:30 to 10:00, Dale will be at the Richland-Grant Telephone Cooperative, 202 North East Street, meeting with Manager Brad Welp and his team to discuss broadband developments.

In Boscobel, from 10:30 to 11:15, Schultz will hold a Community Listening Session at the Boscobel Public Library, 1033 Wisconsin Avenue in the reading room. Dale will also discuss the value of a public library to community members that don’t have broadband and to job seekers. At each listening session during the day, all community members are welcome to participate and discuss any issue.

From 11:30 to 12:30 p.m., Dale will have lunch at the Senior Dining Center in the Tuffley Center, 104 E Oak Street. Community members can join if they notify manager Michelle Klaas at 375-4505.

In Woodman, from 1:00 to 1:30, Schultz will hold a Community Listening Session at The Whistle Stop, 401 Main Street. All community members are welcome.

In Mount Hope, from 2:00 to 2:45, Dale will hold a Community Listening Session at Home A Gins, located at 120 N. Center Street. All community members are welcome.

In Bagley, from 3:15 to 4:00, Schultz will hold a Community Listening Session at the Community Center located at 500 Jackley Lane. He will be joined by Village President Roger Straka and all community members are welcome.

Schultz encourages anyone to contact him about issues or a concern by email at sen.schultz@legis.wi.gov or visit his website at www.senatordaleschultz.com.

Column by State Senator Dale Shultz (District 17). His district includes Grant County.

Roundabouts are appearing in more communities around Wisconsin. Traffic safety studies show that roundabouts compare well with traditional intersections, resulting in fewer crashes and less severe crashes with fewer serious injuries and fatalities.

The design of a roundabout forces vehicles to slow down, reducing the severity of crashes. The shape of a roundabout basically eliminates the head-on crashes and ‘T-bone’ crashes that occur at traditional intersections, too often resulting in serious injuries and fatalities. Drivers of any age have no difficulty negotiating a roundabout after driving through one the first time or two.

A recently built roundabout on USH 18 and Bennett Road in Dodgeville where the speed limit on USH 18 is 55 mile per hour, has seen fewer and less serious crashes than the intersection it replaced, according to Craig Hardy, the Iowa County Highway Commissioner. Hardy said driver comments include that the roundabout forces all vehicles to slow down, vehicles have less of a wait than with a stop-light intersection, and there is a definite decline in the amount of and seriousness of accidents and injuries.

A brochure by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation reports that roundabouts are often less expensive to construct than a signalized intersection and roundabouts are usually less expensive to maintain.

In some communities, when a roundabout has been proposed as an alternative to consider, concerns have arisen because the roundabout may take more real estate than a reconstructed intersection. A roundabout may have more impact on nearby businesses, homes and other property improvements.

Fortunately, in Wisconsin, we have state laws that require multiple alternative designs to be considered and, thanks to the practice of “community sensitive design”, community members have the opportunity to participate in the decision making process on whether a roundabout or a new intersection makes sense for a neighborhood.

Because of safety and cost advantages, roundabouts are proving to be a viable design choice in a growing number of Wisconsin communities. To receive the free DOT brochure on roundabouts, contact me via email or call my office at 800.978.8008. The brochure is also available on the web at http://www.dot.wisconsin.gov.