Daily Yonder, The

The digital divide – the “haves” and “have nots” when it comes to internet access and use – is an abiding concern for telecommunication and internet policymakers at all levels of government. The Federal Communications Commission’s focus on deployment means policymakers miss an entirely different dimension of the problem – broadband adoption. Ensuring the ubiquity of high-speed networks is a laudable goal. But if a lot of people are not subscribing even when networks pass their residences, that’s a different problem. Analysis of broadband adoption data shows that:

[Commentary] Telemedicine providers can’t catch senior citizens when they fall. But health services delivered over broadband can make it possible for seniors to live independently for longer periods of time. For all of the potential that telehealth holds for assisting the aging-in-place process, telehealth’s success rides squarely on the back of quality broadband in the community. Municipal fiber networks can drive telehealth and broadband use. Small towns such as Wilson (NC) and Sebewaing (MI) with gigabit capacity infrastructure, keep subscribers happy.

A Q&A with Ann Treacy of the Blandin Foundation editor of the blog “Blandin on Broadband”

A new study commissioned by the Blandin Foundation may help small communities put some hard numbers behind broadband’s public benefit.  “Return on Investment: Measuring Impact of Broadband in Five Rural Minnesota Communities” looks at communities that have spent public funds on building out networks.  Ann Treacy produced the quantitative portion of the report, while Bill Coleman of Community Technology Advisors gathered stories in each of the communities that illustrate the numbers.  

Rural communities with high levels of poverty and lack of access to internet could be undercounted in the 2020 U. S. Census, according to a report. Researchers at the Carsey School of Public Policy at the University of New Hampshire have identified numerous steps the Census Bureau can take to improving census collection in rural areas. Reporter author William O’Hare’s warning is based on likely limits to budgets for Census operations and a change in methodology. The Census will rely more on the internet for data collection.

[Commentary] When you call 911 for help, you're gaining access to a local government public safety communications system that faces greater challenges than dropped calls and video buffering.

And it's not just the patient whose life may depend on that communication system. Volunteer firefighters, emergency medical technicians and search-and-rescue personnel count on it, too.

These emergency personnel need it to dispatch them to those in need, and they use it to acknowledge a page and until they return safely to their own homes or jobs. The recent breakdown in that system in my area made a difficult situation more hazardous. And as you can imagine, that was followed by a deluge of uncomfortable but informative conversations among volunteers, local government officials and service providers.

Here are some things you should know about public safety communications systems in rural areas.

Who Owns Those Towers? In my county, Langlade County, located in northeastern WIsonsin, two of the towers are owned by the county. Others are owned by private enterprises.

It's Not Easy Being Green. You don't have to be this wooded to experience significant communications challenges in a rural area. In your area the problem may be the distance or other terrain features. Or it may just be that the equipment isn't up to the tasks we expect it to perform.

It Can Be a Tower of Babel. It's not just fire departments, emergency medical systems (EMS) and law enforcement using local government channels. The airways are crowded with other users that may include the Department of Natural Resources and public utilities.

It's Always about Money. While it's possible to get a used mobile radio for as little as $300, new units run more than $1,000 each, making the radios a significant expense for small rural fire departments and ambulance services. The systems that support them are a significant expense for units of government like our county. That makes sharing space on a cell tower look pretty good compared to the $500,000 or more it would cost to erect a county-owned tower.

Is It too Much to Ask? We should all try to defer opinions about what our communities can't afford until we've made some effort to learn about the systems and services lives depend on.

[Commentary] The free market and competition alone will take care of all of rural America’s communications needs. So says Sen Ron Johnson (R-WI). The facts? Well, they say otherwise.

“If you have a company that doesn’t have very good [phone] service, don’t you think customers are going to switch to another company?” Sen Johnson asked rhetorically. “Don’t you think that competition would do a better job of guaranteeing that [service] than heavy-handed government trying to guarantee that?” That’s great in theory, but in practice it leaves something to be desired, especially in rural areas. Without an even-handed set of rules, lots of consumer information and some good choices, real competition frequently doesn't make it to rural America.

There's no better illustration of this point than the very matter Sen Johnson was referring to -- the problem of rural call completion. Some of these “least call routing” companies have faked unanswered calls, sent calls into endless loops and dropped them outright. The problem got so bad that the Federal Communications Commission got involved at the request of some rural phone companies, state utilities commissions and other consumer advocates.

For competition to hold down prices and ensure quality service, consumers need information -- they need to know what the problem is. And they need choices -- they need an alternative to the company that is charging too much and providing too little. And they need companies to stay above board and play by the rules.

The FCC’s action -- which has bipartisan support -- shows how a public intervention can improve the marketplace for us all. There ought to be a lesson here as we continue the transition from our old phone system to the new, Internet-based system of the future.