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Broadband In Rural America
Posted by newscoma | Posted in Tennessee | Posted on 19-09-2008
Chez Bez pointed this story out to me on Twitter and I have to share it with you guys. It’s that good.
Behold America’s broadband backwater. For the nation that pioneered the Internet, extending fast connections to small towns and rural areas has proved a daunting challenge. Carriers are loath to build networks where they can’t sell service at a profit, and since 2003 more than $1.2 billion in federal loans aimed at helping private carriers serve remote areas has addressed only the most extreme cases. According to a study by the Pew Internet & American Life Project, released in July, only 38% of rural American households have access to high-speed Internet connections. That’s an improvement from 15% in 2005, but it pales in comparison with 57% and 60% for city and suburb dwellers, respectively.
The lack of fast Web access is helping create a country of broadband haves and have-nots—a division that not only makes it harder for businesses to get work done, but also impedes workers’ efforts to find jobs, puts students at a disadvantage, and generally leaves a wide swath of the country less connected to the growing storehouse of information on the Web—from health sites to news magazines to up-to-date information on Presidential candidates. “Broadband is a distance killer, which can especially help rural Americans,” says John Horrigan, a Pew researcher. “Broadband is not just an information source for news and civic matters, but it’s also a pathway to participation.”
It is a problem. Trust me on this one. The Internet allows rural communities to have global accessibility, but we aren’t were we need to be.
Why do you think I preach this stuff. Because it’s small communities like Hoots that can make a difference with the right tools. We just need those tools.
I’m a perfect example of how the Internet can open a world from the confines of a county that has roughly 32,000 people in it. Ol’ Broad is the same way as is Demarcationville in Hawkins County. We are in rural areas speaking to people all around the world.
This is important.
UPDATED: Go to Connected Tennessee for some excellent information on this issue. Thanks Brandon.
UPDATED: Cathy sent the link from Barcamp on Digital Enablement in Rural Tennessee. This is GREAT news.
Amen, my slowest iphone AT&T connection is light speed compared to my Mom’s dial up internet access at home. That’s the only option she has, but the condition of the older, non fiber-optic phone lines also complicate even her dial up connection.
Now she just wants to surf wirelessly on my phone when I’m home.
The state of internet access is also a major barrier to moving back there and being able to work from home in a rural area.
As I have a tech savvy bro-in-law, we do ok but it could be so much better. There are areas like you are talking about that have nothing.
It’s a problem, you are so right!
[...] » Broadband In Rural AmericaPosted 108 minutes [...]
http://www.barcampnashville.com/session/digital-enablement-rural-tennessee
When I went to college in West Bumble (seriously, it makes Hoots look like New York City), the entire county had broadband internet access. Meanwhile, I live in the largest city in the state of Kentucky and we didn’t get broadband internet until 2004.
Riddle me that.
Is this…
Download Speed: 1395 kbps (174.4 KB/sec transfer rate)
Upload Speed: 253 kbps (31.6 KB/sec transfer rate)
….or bad?
High bandwidth connections make distance work possible. If India and China can compete this way, why not Martin?
Kate, it’s pretty good. That’s a very good download speed (that’s the speed at which you’ll get websites and legal *ahem* MP3s and movies). The upload speed is a little slow, but that could vary on a lot of things. My speed on Cable internet is roughly (as of right now) 500 kb/second. I assume it’s just download speed.
Most places cap your UL speed to discourage file sharing.
I am desperate for an answer to my 19.2 dialup. I am on MSN and my phone company is Birch Telecom. It’s so bad that I can no longer pay my bills online like I used to do. I was getting 28.8 on Bell South, but they were eaten up by AT&T recently and jumped my phone bill up 20.00 a month which I could not afford on my little retirement. Living rurally is great but not in this area. I’m sinking.