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High-speed broadband internet service has transitioned from a luxury good to an increasingly necessary utility. Rural regions are particularly susceptible to poor broadband infrastructure coverage, however, because they pose a costly business case for providers. The economic case for rural broadband infrastructure, though, is compelling despite its cost: Broadband access and adoption in rural areas is linked to increased job and population growth, higher rates of new business formation and home values, and lower unemployment rates. Unlike with many other types of infrastructure, the long-run benefits of broadband access could grow exponentially, given the potential for innovation and productivity gains it provides.
SpaceX s Starlink shouldn t get federal funds to expand internet access
I m all for seeing smaller providers get money to expand their footprint as long as it is in areas that either were not represented before, aka, rural areas, as the article states this money is for. But lets ask ourselves. Should we throw money into where it can cover more areas faster and over a wider area or pay for upgrades for the same area with no plans to expand outside main street? I m not for giving money to small (or large) ISP s just because they want to replace perfectly good coax with fiber or for upgrades. Thats what you make your customers pay for. I m for getting service to that last house 5 miles back in the sticks who can t even get DSL. Wireless broadband can have a place in getting that done while these small mom-pop ISP s stick to main street.
Mecklenburg Electric Cooperative (MEC) and its subsidiary, EMPOWER Broadband, along with four other electric cooperatives in Virginia and Maryland, are excited to announce the creation of an innovative association of