The internet has become a necessity for many aspects of modern life, such as education, health care, business and entertainment. But not everyone has access to reliable and fast internet service, especially in rural areas of the U.S.
According to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), about 30 million Americans lack access to broadband internet, defined as 25 megabits per second (Mbps) for downloads and 3 Mbps for uploads. Most of these people live in remote or sparsely populated areas, where the cost of building and maintaining internet infrastructure is prohibitive.
The federal government has allocated more than $60 billion for the “Internet for All” program, which aims to connect every home and business with fiber-optic cable, the gold standard of internet technology. Fiber-optic cable can deliver speeds of up to 1 gigabit per second (Gbps), or 1,000 Mbps, and has the potential to support future innovations.
However, some remote locations are very expensive to reach, costing up to $300,000 per connection. This raises questions about whether the money could be better spent on other options, such as satellite service, or on connecting more people in less isolated areas.
“We have to ask ourselves as a country: Is it worth spending that kind of money to reach one house? Or would it be better to spend that money reaching 10 houses or 100 houses?” said Mark Jamison, a visiting scholar at the American Enterprise Institute and a former head of the Florida Public Service Commission.
On the other hand, rural broadband advocates argue that fiber-optic internet is not a luxury, but an essential tool for economic development, education and cultural preservation. They point out that rural broadband access could generate $100 billion in economic benefits over the next decade, according to a study by the American Farm Bureau Federation.
“It’s not just about Netflix. It’s about being able to participate in the 21st-century economy,” said Jonathan Chambers, a former FCC official and partner at Conexon, a consulting firm that works with rural electric cooperatives.
Some rural communities have taken matters into their own hands and formed their own internet service providers (ISPs), using grants, loans and local taxes to fund their projects. For example, the Co-Mo Electric Cooperative in Missouri has built a fiber-optic network that covers more than 3,000 square miles and serves more than 16,000 customers.
However, these initiatives face many challenges, such as regulatory hurdles, environmental reviews, property rights and local opposition. The Biden administration has pledged to support community-owned ISPs and remove barriers to deployment, but it remains unclear how it will implement its broadband plan.
“We know that there are still too many barriers to deployment. We know that there are still too many Americans who are unserved or underserved. And we know that closing these gaps is not something that the federal government can do alone,” said Jessica Rosenworcel, acting chairwoman of the FCC.
The digital divide in the U.S. is not only a matter of geography, but also of income, race and education. According to a report by the Brookings Institution, about 15% of Americans do not use the internet at all, and another 20% only use it through smartphones or other devices with limited capabilities.
“Access to high-speed internet is essential for economic opportunity, for education, for health care. It’s essential for our democracy,” said Nicol Turner Lee, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution.
Relevant articles:
– The $53,000 Connection: The High Cost of High-Speed Internet for Everyone, The Wall Street Journal, September 5, 2023
– Rural Broadband: A $100 Billion Challenge, Forbes, September 6, 2023
– Biden’s broadband plan could boost rural economies, but challenges remain, CNBC, September 4, 2023
– How to close the digital divide in the US, Vox, September 1, 2023