The counties west of the Balsams are isolated by geography, connected to the rest of the state by only three hilly highways and a single telephone cable. Bad winter weather can make the roads perilous and any cable failure leaves them without any phone service outside the area.

No one can do much about the weather, but there soon will be another cable to lessen the chance of a long-distance blackout. Just as importantly, that new cable also will deliver high-speed Internet access at prices comparable to those in urban areas, making the six counties and the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians full participants in the new age of technology.

Cecil Groves, president of Southwestern Community College, said the Eastern Band along with Jackson, Macon and Swain counties should be connected by spring. After that, the lines will be extended on west to Cherokee, Clay and Graham counties. Groves said the entire network could be in place within 18 months.

The program itself has been under way for four years. "There's nothing new about this," Groves notes. What is new is the timetable for completion. The money for the first phase already is in hand and money for the second phase is being sought, particularly from the Golden LEAF Foundation, Groves said.

Also, it's not as if the cable wouldn't be in place eventually. But, every year the six western counties are without high-speed Internet at competitive prices means another year of economic handicap.

"We feel there are several ways to do this," Groves said. "Our way is to get it done as soon as possible."

High-speed access is a boon for big business, small business and individuals alike. Consider Harrah's Cherokee Casino, the biggest North Carolina business west of Asheville. "What it would mean for us on the ... administrative side is it will ... make us more efficient," said Leeann Bridges-McHattie, director of information technology for the casino.

Additionally, she added, "(I)t could be an offer that we have to our customers. ... If we had a business group coming in, it would be something they benefit from."

For small businesses, "The project means a great deal," Groves said. "They should be able to receive much higher quality service ... at a cost comparable to what they would pay in urban areas." This, he said, will allow them "to compete on an equal footing."

To Bridges-McHattie, the new link is important at home as well as at work. "I have a dial-up connection at home, and it just kills me," she said. "It's really exciting. There is so much opportunity."

The Eastern Band is putting up the largest single portion of the cable's cost, $1.9 million. "The Cherokee understand the need to diversify their economy," Groves said.

The college and Drake, a Franklin-based software company, are chipping in $1.4 million each. In addition to Golden LEAF money, aid will be sought from other federal, state, local and private sources for the rest of the $10 million the work will cost.

But the payoff far exceeds the cost. The 23 strands of fiber-optic cable in Cherokee alone will have a commercial value of $13 million, according to a tribal report. The system will save the Eastern Band and Drake money in communications costs and enable the college to offer more educational services.

Groves notes that high-speed Internet is the key to helping businesses already in the region compete while luring the types of new businesses that don't require a lot of level ground and pay good wages. "The more diverse our economy is, the more stable it is," he said.

Also, "We're putting everything in-ground so as not to detract from the beauty of the area," Groves said. That is no small point, as the economy of the western counties is dependent strongly on tourism.

Beyond the financial benefits, as considerable as they are, is the psychological benefit to the far west of being fully connected to the outside world. Announcement of the timetable is great news all around.