One change that would most help rural North Carolina
Published April 12, 2018
By Tom Campbell
by Tom Campbell, producer and moderator, NC SPIN, April 11, 2018
If you could wave a magic wand and make one change that would provide the greatest benefit to rural North Carolina what would it be? I’ve been intrigued by that question ever since it was first posed during a panel discussion on rural issues.
I thank the many readers, who gave some very valuable answers to that question, but will defer to Patrick Woodie, CEO of The North Carolina Rural Center. Woodie has just completed a tour of all 80 rural counties in our state, meeting people and viewing conditions. Patrick says if he could only choose one thing his top priority would be the completion of last-mile broadband Internet in rural counties. Our state has done a commendable job of completing middle-mile broadband to libraries, schools, hospitals and some state agencies, but hasn’t finished the job.
Why is this so important and why hasn’t it been completed? The Internet is no longer a luxury but almost a necessity. With a scarcity of healthcare providers, especially in mental health, telemedicine is essential to make sure rural areas get proper healthcare. There are some hard-to-fill disciplines in our schools; the Internet can put a master teacher in every classroom. Our students need Internet access to complete homework assignments and do research without hanging around outside closed libraries or coffee shops, too frequently happens. No business can function well without the ability to contact customers, market their products and make purchases. And even though it is often competition to local merchants Internet access is a must-have for today’s consumers to shop, learn and be entertained. If we have any hopes of people moving into or even remaining in rural North Carolina access to broadband Internet is essential.
The reasons why broadband isn’t universally available is economic. Most existing Internet Service Providers (ISPs) are for-profit ventures and laying fiber optic cable is expensive in densely populated communities, but is cost prohibitive in rural areas where, by definition, there are fewer than 250 people per square mile.
In accomplishing last-mile broadband availability to all areas we need to be creative, collaborative and cost effective. Each county’s solution will be a bit different, some involving private for-profit enterprises, but others having a mixture of for-profit, non-profit and philanthropic organizations. And no one technology will be right for every area, so a mixture of fiber, fixed wireless and other technologies will be required. The ultimate test will be whether or not the service is affordable. $50 to $75 per month is accepted as the upper limit customers will pay for broadband.
There are some examples where this is working in our state. In Northwestern Carolina Skyline telephone, a co-op, provides broadband for rural areas of Alleghany, Ashe and Watauga Counties, using a combination of landline and fixed wireless broadcast signals. East Carolina Broadband, a private group, provides ISP service using grain silos and other tall structures to broadcast fixed wireless signals. Rural electric co-ops are considering offering service and the City of Wilson’s Greenlight project has worked very well, even though larger ISPs don’t like the competition.
We cannot tackle all rural issues at one time, but providing last-mile broadband Internet service is a goal we can and should pledge to complete for the wellbeing of all people.
April 13, 2018 at 9:47 am
Norm Kelly says:
It's unfortunate but true that Internet access has almost become a necessity. Should not be a government mandated 'benefit' thought.
So, a private-public partnership? Maybe. A private installation is the best way to handle this.
Why do I say this? Cuz government IS NOT a competitor to any private business. Government is a private business killer. Not only do government agencies NOT have to make a profit, or break even, the way a private business does, but government prefers to eliminate private business from any & all fields that government intrudes. Government does not like competition because ALL business that does the same thing as government simply does it better than any government agency. Not opinion, fact!
But the more important question comes down to WHY has government not subsidized private business to implement Internet access everywhere? And by everywhere, I mean EVERYWHERE! For more than a decade now, those of us who pay for our own Internet service, and phone service, have been paying an additional fee (not a tax!) on our bills so that phone & Internet service can be provided to 'rural' areas and other areas that are difficult for businesses to expand their reach. Has this money been used to provide Internet service to rural areas? We know the money IS NOT going to provide phone service, cuz all the people who need a phone have at least 1 obamaphone! So, no phone necessary, why isn't the money being used to provide affordable Internet service to rural/poor areas? Probably just ANOTHER case of government ineptitude! Talk about repeating myself.
April 13, 2018 at 2:57 pm
Joe John says:
Tom--
Session Law 2011-84 (House Bill 129), the so-called "Level Playing Field Act" sponsored by then-Rep. Marilyn Avila, prohibits local municipalities from operating their own internet community broadband services (Wilson and a couple of others which were already doing so were exempted but could not expand service to smaller neighboring communities). The determination as to whether smaller communities would receive broadband service was thus left to the large telecommunication providers which, as you point out, were not--and are not--interested in areas which lack the potential to provide significant profits.
SL 2011-84 remains the law although 2017 HB 68, the "Bright Futures Act" promoted by the League of Municipalities, lays the groundwork for the possibility of public-private partnerships to provide broadband services. HB 68 passed the NC House, but was sent to the Senate Rules Committee where it remains along with a Senate companion bill, SB 65. So the damage to rural small businesses and individuals created by the "Level Playing Field Act" continues to this day.
Rep. Joe John
April 13, 2018 at 5:27 pm
Bruce Stanley says:
Why aren't local tax dollars used to pay the internet providers to provide the infrastructure?
