An expert on federal communications policy says high-speed broadband is reaching more rural Americans. Shirley Bloomfield is the CEO of NTCA-The Rural Broadband Association…
“I’ve got 850 community-based local companies and cooperatives across the country that are providing broadband to their communities,” she said. “They are now up to about 90% fiber to the home for their customer base. That covers 35% of the land mass of the United States.”
She also says there’s been some good progress in recent years, “However the job is not done,” Bloomfield added. “There is still a percentage of Americans who are tough to serve. They live in remote areas.”
Bloomfield says many farmers and ranchers remain in need of broadband improvements.
“When you’ve got a farm that is three miles down the road, you’ve got to have a government program – like we’ve seen with the infrastructure act – that actually gives companies a business model and a business reason to go connect those most remote Americans.”
The federal Broadband Equity Access and Deployment, or BEAD Program, is providing more than $42 billion to expand high-speed internet access. But Bloomfield notes a recent bill in the U.S. Senate would seek to pull back $21 billion from those funds, which were allocated under the Biden-era Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
EDITOR’S TAKE:
While we can’t speak intelligently about the possibility of a budget recission, we can speak to the continuing need for agriculture to have the same access to broadband as their urban counterparts. If you really think about it, agriculture generates a tremendous amount of data and it often requires rapid analysis and turnaround time. Many times it is a safety issue or management decision that requires immediate intervention. As the article points out, we’re making progress, but there is still a pretty wide gap in some areas. Plus, even where it currently exists, the broadband speed may not be comparable to urban areas. It is important and is analogous to the times in the 1920’s and 1930’s when rural electrification was being addressed.
Anything your dealership can do to support the upgrading or installation of rural broadband would be appreciated very much. It will also help you communicate more effectively with your rural customers.
