Most aspects of the federal stimulus bill are designed to kick in immediately, but there’s one provision that may prove to be the most prescient.
Stimulus bill directs FCC to create broadband policy (from CED Magazine)
The FCC report is to include:
- An analysis of the most efficient mechanisms for ensuring broadband access
- A strategy for achieving affordability and maximum utilization of broadband
- An evaluation of the status of broadband deployment
- A plan for use of broadband infrastructure and services “in advancing consumer welfare, civic participation, public safety and homeland security, community development, health care delivery, energy independence and efficiency, education, worker training, private sector investment, entrepreneurial activity, job creation and growth, and other national purposes
The future of northern Minnesota relies, in part, on the area marketing its quality of life to creatives who use the internet to do all manner of work around the world. This demands high speed internet options in every corner of the region. Thanks to Iron Range Resources and other public and private entities, we can do this when most rural regions can’t. Get modern. Fast. We can do this. And the more that can be done to connect the whole country to high speed internet, the better.
There, now, seems to be economic discrimination regarding the internet. I’m still on dial-up, but it is a pretty good service because of where my house is, but friends who live further out have worthless dial-up. Some have no alternative. Some have invested in antennas, satellite dishes, and related equipment. They also pay quite a bit per month for not-lightening-fast internet. Qwest has advertised fairly cheap broadband in the bills for years, but it isn’t available here. I’ve been told I’m about a mile too far away. Yet the people was “out at the lake” can get Qwest broadband. Apparently they have more clout or maybe there are more people per mile. But most are summer people.
These guys:
http://www.itif.org/files/roadtorecovery.pdf
estimate that $10billion in broadband investment will get hundreds of thousands of new jobs, so this is a good thing.
From an iron range perspective, maybe it is time to rekindle the fiber to the home initiative taken up by the IRR and Blandin a couple of years ago. Fiber could mean competition in the cable TV and phone markets, which could lower prices even for people without computers.
It would sure be nice to be more like the Japanese and get 10 times the speed for 1/2 the price. The US networked the first computers, and now we are 15th in the world in terms of market penetration, speed, and price.
http://www.itif.org/files/2008BBRankings.pdf