Broadband 'Disconnect' Has Big Consequences for Midwest Farmers

The vast majority of farmers in the Midwest aren’t able to utilize “precision agriculture” GPS technology because they don’t get high-speed internet, according to Christopher Ali, assistant media studies professor at the University of Virginia. He said companies don’t want to put in fiber optic cable – considered the gold standard – because of its great expense. “There’s not enough customers on a farm, because there’s technically one customer on the farm – the farmer,” he said. “That doesn’t merit any of these companies coming out. The per-mile cost of laying the wires is the problem.” Ali said the US offers $6 billion in subsidies to telecommunications companies for the purpose of installing rural broadband, but the funds aren’t making their way out to the farms. To try to get to the bottom of the public policy issue that he believes has far-reaching consequences, Ali and his dog, Tuna, loaded up “Lima Bean” – Ali’s bright green Kia Soul – and drove to small farm towns in Kentucky, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri and Indiana. “Co-ops are the unsung heroes of rural broadband,” Ali said. “They don’t need the return on investment that the giant companies need because they don’t have shareholders to satisfy. They have community members to service. And I think because they don’t need a 20 percent profit margin, they’re able to take a few more risks. Wouldn’t it be great if public policy could help these co-ops leverage or mitigate some of the risk?”