Connecting America's rural areas to broadband

[SOURCE: The Hill 10/20, AUTHOR: Rep. Mark Udall (D-CO)]
[Commentary] In 1930, nearly 90 percent of urban areas -- but only 10 percent of rural areas -- had electricity. In 1936, the United States launched a massive campaign to bring electricity to rural America. By 1939, rural households with electricity had risen to 25 percent, and by the early 1970s about 98 percent of all farms in the United States had electricity. This very successful program introduced a new quality of life to rural areas. As Congress begins the process of overhauling the 1996 telecommunications law, we must address the need for the United States to embark on a similarly large-scale effort to bring new technologies to rural America. Today, with high-speed Internet readily available in urban areas, many rural communities still lack service or must pay extremely high rates. History has shown us that improvements in information sharing have resulted in increased productivity, a better-educated society and the growth of technology. The development and mainstream use of the Internet has changed how we conduct business and provide community services and has revolutionized information sharing throughout the world. Yet in a ranking of developed nations, the U.S. is now 13th in the world in broadband penetration. We must do better. Universal access to broadband services is an ambitious but achievable goal. It will help the telecommunications industry by expanding broadband subscribers and strengthen our overall economy by contributing to the increase of commerce in rural areas. But access to high-speed Internet has more than just economic implications — it enhances our quality of life and provides Americans with new opportunities. Like the rural electrification program of the 1930s, it is time for us to bring high-speed Internet to our rural communities to ensure that the information revolution of the 21st century leaves no American behind.
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