Range leaders beginning to talk broadband

PHOTO: Joselito Tagarao, Creative Commons license

This morning, the Mesabi Daily News and Hibbing Daily Tribune published a Bill Hanna story about rural broadband. It begins:

ST. PAUL — The governor and lawmakers, both in northern and southern parts of the state, agree that better broadband is needed in rural areas, especially as an economic development tool.

But there is real concern about how the money being sought by broadband supporters this legislative session — $200 million — would be allocated.

And one Range legislator says broadband funding can easily become a “black hole.”

“Technology is a whipsaw — we spend all the money on what we think the needs are now and then the technology changes. I get all mine now off a cell tower,” said Rep. David Dill, DFL-Crane Lake.

“I’m concerned about spending huge amounts of money and then getting caught in a technology crunch. We need to be cautious … can’t build helter-skelter. I don’t know what the figure is … it feels like a bottomless pit.”

The story repeats like that, a paragraph suggesting the importance of rural broadband followed by concern over cost.

It’d be easy to say that Northern Minnesota legislators still don’t get what this issue is all about, but the fact that they’re acknowledging the value of high-speed rural internet even if they don’t fully understand it yet is, in fact, progress. Building broadband infrastructure isn’t cheap, but then again neither is building a $220-$240 million bridge over a mine pit or subsidizing large international corporations. Broadband infrastructure will, however, give more back to the Iron Range in subsequent decades.

To address a few of the points from the story, I’d like to start with Rep. Dill’s discussion of how he gets his internet through wireless providers.

Yes, many people can now get their internet “through the air” using cellular service. This service is capped by the providers. That means the kinds of things David Dill does on the internet (checking e-mail, reading things) are fine, but any kind of large file creation and dissemination — the kinds of things businesses do on the internet — are not supported by cell towers. These towers simply can’t handle the coming tide of streaming media and video conferencing. For that matter, neither can the expensive satellite internet services like HughesNet or Exede, who despite increasing bandwidth capacity in the last year are simply incapable of handling significant volume.

Yes, this technology does change fast. That’s why I’m not sure that schools should be investing so much in iPads or specific delivery methods. That’s also why in infrastructure we should now err on the side of maximum capacity: fiber optic lines in the ground.

Yes, many Iron Range towns have reasonably good internet service. Some towns, like Grand Rapids, have remarkably fast speeds available. Why don’t people live in town? Well, that’s up to the towns. Population is steady and growing in Grand Rapids, compared to east Range towns, and I don’t think it’s higher internet speeds are coincidental to that equation. Town life on the Iron Range has declined in recent years as people’s shopping and entertainment habits changed. For instance, I moved from town to the country because I enjoyed living in a natural environment better than the waning cultural scene in Hibbing. There are trade-offs, sure. But one of the big advantages Northern Minnesota has is a peaceful, attractive environment in which people can do work that is untethered from physical place. That’s precisely why rural broadband is a growth investment for us.

Yes, these projects are expensive. Cost overruns happen, especially when they are being managed by consultants less interested in the nitty gritty of laying down an efficient broadband network and more interested in the easy money that comes from local officials who can’t tell the difference, or who literally don’t care. But that’s where state leadership would be so helpful. It’s also why politicians should actually pay attention to the things they fund, and set high expectations of contractors.

Right now, rural broadband in Northern Minnesota is happening in piecemeal fashion — some of it private, some of it public or co-operative. In coming weeks, President Obama will lay out a national plan pushing to expand internet speeds. The country is talking about the speed of broadband, while we’re still up here in the woods deciding whether to hook it up.

Note to any interested politician: Want to know what a loyal supporter looks like? A constituent who needs broadband that you help bring to his or her house for an affordable price. It’s better than a paved road. (In my case, preferable). Who are these constituents? Nearly all of them, in 10 years or less. Pretending that it’s just a fad for young people isn’t cute anymore. Those “young people” are in their 40s.