Rural Areas go it Alone on High-speed Internet

Fewer than half of Arizona's rural residents have access to high-speed Internet. Tired of waiting for big telecommunications companies to bring broadband access to them, small communities throughout the state are going after it themselves. More than 850 rural communities across the nation have established their own municipal high-speed systems. Small and growing Arizona communities from Wellton to Flagstaff and Littlefield to Queen Creek are also using innovative ways to gain the faster Internet access they need. With the improved capabilities, schools could gain access to online research materials, businesses could reach a broader audience and residents could better keep up with breaking news. Galen Updike, a telecommunications development manager for Arizona's Government Information Technology Agency, said planning is key to a town's success no matter what option it chooses for high-speed access. "Gone are the days where they build and they shall come," Updike said. "It doesn't happen anymore. It's too expensive." He said government officials need to start viewing high-speed Internet access as a necessity rather than a perk, especially in rural areas. "We have not elevated broadband connectivity to the level of what we call critical infrastructure requirement yet, and we need to," he said. Several Western congressional leaders are working to do just that. Sen. Gordon Smith (R-OR) has sponsored, and Sens. Jon Kyl, and John McCain, both R-Ariz., have co-sponsored, a bill that would designate funds to supply broadband access to everyone. The bill, called the Rural Universal Services Equity Act of 2005, has been referred to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation. It is similar to the Universal Connectivity Fee, which charges a fee to all telephone customers to assure every American has affordable access to telephone service.
[SOURCE: Arizona Republic, AUTHOR: Lisa Nicita]