WASHINGTON, Nov. 25, 2015 - Members of the NTCA-Rural
Broadband Association gathered with government officials and a set of lawmakers
last Wednesday at the U.S. Capitol to discuss existing interdependencies
between urban and rural areas and how expanding broadband access in rural
America is critical to the success of the nation as a whole.
As USDA under secretary for rural development, Lisa
Mensah oversees several of the federal programs that support rural broadband
expansion, which in the last six years, she said, received $6.7 billion in USDA
investments. In her keynote speech, she stressed the importance of these
programs, crediting them with helping to close the gap in broadband access
between rural America – where only 47 percent of residents have access to
minimum broadband speeds set by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) –
and urban and suburban America – where 92 percent of residents have broadband
access at the same level of service.
“We know there are too many rural Americans who are
deprived of the opportunities to use broadband, to transform their lives in
limitless ways as it has for others. And we know that without adequate
broadband service, rural communities will never be able to reach their full potential
and compete in the global marketplace,” Mensah said. “But it’s really not just
about rural well-being,” she continued, “because we know there is an
inextricable link between rural and urban economies.”
Republican Bill Johnson, who was raised on a family farm and now represents Appalachian Ohio in the House, agreed with Mensah and touted some of the most impactful ways “broadband access is key” to realizing the benefits of economic, social and political connectivity between urban and rural areas.
· Telemedicine: Many rural residents have 30 or more miles to drive in order to see a doctor or be admitted into a hospital, Johnson said. In an emergency, 30 minutes of wait time could mean the difference between life and death; at other times, it deters rural residents from obtaining preventative care, ultimately increasing the nation’s healthcare costs, he said. Telehealth programs help bring advanced medical care to remote areas, but in most cases, aren’t viable without broadband.
· Business: Rural businesses “lack the ability to grow” without connections to urban America through the Internet, he argued. In addition to providing access to specialized goods and services, broadband access saves rural commuters – and their employers – time and money, and makes living and working in rural America more attractive to young professionals.
· Education: “Internet access allows students of all ages to discover the world around them and grow in knowledge, whether it’s catching up on the news, researching a topic of interest, taking college classes online, or studying for a certification to further their employment opportunities,” Johnson said.
· Food,
Fuel, Fiber: The benefits of rural broadband are felt in urban America, too, he
argued. America’s food and fiber is grown, processed and packaged largely in
rural areas, and with enhanced broadband access, farmers can use precision
agriculture tools to maximize their yields and can communicate with markets at
a distance with greater ease. Urban America depends on its rural cousins for
fuel, as well, and rural utility and energy networks in many cases depend on
broadband for system operations, he said.
Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., concluded the meeting by urging
Congress “to acknowledge that in the 21st century, our commerce, our
connectivity, the livelihoods of millions of Americans, is dependent on…
broadband.”
“People in rural areas are entitled, just as much as
everybody else, to high-speed Internet,” he continued. “This really is an issue
of national concern. This to me is rural electrification. It’s just a basic
need.”
One of the ways NTCA says rural broadband expansion should be
incentivized is through requiring broadband providers to contribute to the Universal Service Fund (USF) – as
telecommunications companies have done since 1996, under the Telecommunications
Act – to support infrastructure expansion and deployment of
broadband in high-cost areas.
In
February, the FCC released a net neutrality rule classifying broadband
providers as telecommunications utilities, subject to the Telecommunications
Act. However, the
commission “forbore” a provision that would have required broadband
providers to contribute to the USF, meaning they declined to include the
provision in the rule, but could reinstate it in the future. The
net neutrality rule is being challenged in court, and it could take up to a
year before a decision is delivered and the status of USF is clear.
Mike Romano, NTCA’s senior vice president of policy, told
Agri-Pulse Tuesday that oral
arguments on the lawsuit are scheduled to start “as early as next month,” and
in the meantime, NTCA would be making “a big push” to protect the net
neutrality rule with the USF included, because “there are no other ports in the
storm here. This is the only way” to get the needed investment in rural
broadband, he said.
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