www.roanoke.com

Salem and Roanoke College are showing what fiber-optic technology can do for a community. They’re also showing what’s possible when everyone thinks creatively and works together.

Early next year, a free wireless Internet access zone will go live along a half-mile strip of Main Street. The city and college are sharing the infrastructure costs and the benefits.

The wireless network will be good for the city because it encompasses public safety offices on Calhoun Street, offering improved Web services for police, fire and rescue workers. It will be good for the college because students won’t lose their wireless connections when they wander off campus.

But the advantages reach far beyond the two partners underwriting the initiative. The wireless network could attract new customers to restaurants and businesses along Main Street. It also could be an economic development tool for attracting more high-tech companies to the city.

Sure, Salem and Roanoke College are getting a tiny toehold on the region’s need for high-speed, high-quality digital technology, but their success in conquering the World Wide Web a few blocks at a time should inspire larger projects in the future.