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Connecting rural communities

High-speed Internet could transform the American heartland just as rural electrification did in the 1930s. Both help make communities self-sufficient. Internet access means farmers could have instant access to weather, students to research, businesses to their markets, retirees to doctors and family. The federal government should expand high-speed Internet in areas where the private sector won't go alone.

The federal government has long played a pivotal role in bringing critical utilities to rural America, in places where the population is so small private companies could not recoup their costs to deliver electricity, water and other services. The Internet is not merely a modern amenity. Increasingly it is a major conduit for business, banking, news, learning and personal communication.

For the past decade, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has funded several programs to expand high-speed service, but they are grossly underfunded. The New York Times reported recently that a $3-billion fund had loaned less than half its capacity - in part, critics told the newspaper, because the agency tends to disqualify small start-up companies, the very ones that made the Internet a staple in American culture. States are filling part of the gap, but this is a federal responsibility. Congress should commit more money and relax lending standards. The economic opportunities alone justify taking a greater risk.

America's airport and highway system, just like rural electricity service, exist because the government recognized the benefits of connecting communities. With its many uses, from health and business to public safety, the Internet is essential to cities of any size, and high-speed is the platform the Internet needs to realize its potential. Congress should look at a range of incentives to expand high-speed in the near future, including partnerships with states and co-ops to speed construction. Hooking up will strengthen these economies and make residents safer, happier and more productive.

[Last modified January 12, 2006, 01:23:25]