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  Telecommunications Vision
Telecommunications is a powerful tool through which people can accomplish their goals more easily. As we reach the end of the 20th century and begin the 21st, Walnut Creek will facilitate the use of this tool to assist its residents, businesses and public institutions in achieving their goals.

Telecommunications will play an increasingly important role in the community in the future. Walnut Creek’s vision of this future is the Connected Entrepreneurial Community. As discussed below, the Connected Entrepreneurial Community is characterized by: (1) A strong sense of community fostered by new connections between people and institutions through telecommunications; (2) A business environment characterized in part by small, entrepreneurial and often home-based businesses made possible in part by the availability of superior telecommunications services; (3) Low taxes resulting from a healthy sales tax base and non-tax revenues from telecommunications services; (4) Reduced vehicular traffic due to heavy reliance on telecommuting and home based businesses; (5) Superior schools using telecommunications for student research and educational materials; (6) A senior community integrated into the community at large with little sense of isolation; and (7) Superior hospitals serving the community and the region through telemedicine.

Strong Sense of Community. Walnut Creek will have a strong sense of community fostered by new connections between people and with institutions through telecommunications. Walnut Creek already has one of the strongest senses of community of any city in California. Telecommunications will either enhance or detract from this sense of community, depending upon choices the community makes. Telecommunications has the potential to increase connections between citizens and with institutions, spreading more information about community events, opportunities to volunteer, and government programs, and creating new opportunities for people to communicate directly with each other electronically. At the same time, telecommunications has the potential to isolate individuals, encouraging them to vegetate in front of computer terminals and television sets. Competition in the telecommunications industry will tend to give businesses and residents more choices, both in terms of the ways in which telecommunications is used and the content of information made available. Walnut Creek’s vision is a community with telecommunications networks that encourage citizens to get involved in their community rather than avoiding personal interaction.

Entrepreneurial Business Environment. Walnut Creek will have a thriving business community characterized in part by small, entrepreneurial and often home-based businesses made possible in part by the availability of superior telecommunications services, as well as branch offices of national firms. Our quality of life is dependent in part upon a healthy business community. In the non-retail sector, we are in competition with the Bishop Ranches and Hacienda Business Parks. Walnut Creek offers a superior business environment in many ways, but does not have the huge amounts of square footage needed by some large businesses and does not offer immediate freeway access to the Shadelands. For the future, we need to enhance our strengths. Recent studies have shown that Walnut Creek is one of the major “edge cities” in the country, characterized by a predominance of small, entrepreneurial companies that will serve as the primary economic engine for the country in the future. We also have a desirable quality of life, making it attractive for people to live here and work out of their homes. In enhancing our strengths, we should promote a business environment that is conducive to small, start-up businesses, including at-home businesses, as well as being supportive of our existing business community. A method to do this is to ensure that superior telecommunications services at low prices are available to these businesses.

Low Taxes. Walnut Creek will have fewer taxes and assessments than most other cities in the area while retaining high levels of service. Walnut Creek is blessed with a strong retail sales tax base, which has allowed us to avoid taxes and assessments that many other cities impose, e.g. utility user taxes, Mello-Roos assessments, landscaping and lighting maintenance assessments. Changes in the telecommunications industry will either allow us to maintain low taxes or create pressure to impose new and increased taxes, depending upon the choices we make. In the short term, we may collect reduced cable television franchise fees as competing services which are not subject to franchise fees cut into cable’s market share. In the long term, increasing commerce over the Internet will cut into our sales tax revenues. We can help maintain a low tax environment by making sure telecommunications pays its fair share of government revenues. In addition, we can protect our sales tax revenues by both encouraging businesses to use Walnut Creek as a point of sale for commerce over the Internet and encouraging businesses to use the Internet to encourage customers to shop in Walnut Creek.

Reducing Vehicular Traffic. Walnut Creek will generate less vehicular traffic than other similarly situated cities because a significant portion of residents will work at home. There may be little more we can do to reduce congestion through building more traffic improvements or mandating TDM programs. However, we can create incentives for people to want to stay off the road during peak hours. One way is to ensure that superior telecommunications services are available to citizens at home. This will encourage home businesses as discussed above as well as telecommuting.

Superior Schools. Walnut Creek will host superior schools with full access to educational and research tools available through telecommunications. Increasingly educational materials are being made available through telecommunications. Increasingly students will use the Internet to research projects. Murwood Elementary is a shining example of what is already happening, with daily “Murwood Network News” broadcasts to all classrooms and students communicating with other students throughout the world over the Internet. Telecommunications also promises to allow parents to get more involved in their children’s schooling by being able to track class plans and homework over the Internet. These opportunities are more likely to develop if the City ensures availability of superior telecommunications services throughout the community.

Connected Seniors. The senior community in Walnut Creek will be integrated into the community at large with little sense of isolation. One of the great myths about seniors is that they are not adept at using computers. In fact, when given a little training, seniors often become the most enthusiastic users of the Internet. SeniorNet is one organization that specializes in setting up training centers for seniors as well as maintaining a network specifically for seniors. For active seniors, use of the Internet can allow them to find out more about activities and volunteer opportunities, making it more likely that they will be active in the community. For seniors who have difficulty leaving the house, use of the Internet can be a tremendous avenue for avoiding the depression of isolation and interacting with the world around them. Promoting the general availability of telecommunications services, improving their use by institutions and giving particular attention to training seniors can make this vision a reality.

Superior Medical Centers. Walnut Creek will host thriving, superior medical centers which will foster decentralized health care through telecommunications. Walnut Creek is already the home of two of the finest medical centers in the Bay Area, John Muir and Kaiser-Permanente Medical Centers. Two trends in medicine are the closure of branch medical centers in favor of central medical centers and the use of telecommunications to allow remote diagnosis by transferring patient data from clinics to hospitals. Promoting superior telecommunications services in Walnut Creek will serve the dual purpose of ensuring the strength of our two medical centers in the face of these trends while improving health services to our citizens with less need to visit medical centers for certain conditions.