Thanks to the Baller Herbst email list I got word on an article in the Wall Street Journal on rural Internet financing.
Members of the US House Agriculture Committee met to rural Internet financing provided through the Rural Utilities Service. The RUS provides grants, loans and loan guarantees to a number of services, including telecommunications services in rural areas. The Washington Post previously reported that since 2001 more than half the money has gone to metropolitan regions or communities within easy commutes of a mid-size city.
The concern is that funding is going to areas that already have adequate access to telecommunications. That the funding is supporting private companies that don’t need financial support and that there are underserved areas that are not getting the support they need.
Minnesota’s own House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin C. Peterson (D) was quoted as telling James M. Andrew, administrator of the Rural Utilities Service, “If you don’t fix this, I guarantee you this committee will.”
What’s needed is a policy that provides information on the actual deployment, speed and price of high speed broadband throughout the US as well as oversite and accountability. The CWA has a plan on its website, http://www.speedmatters.org that will help to achive this goal.
I think you’re right. From the little bit of technology planning I did with nonprofit organizations I remember that the first step is assessing the current situation in terms of hardware, software, and connectivity. The next steps are to assess the needs of staff and I think that ties in quite a bit with budget – especially on a national level.
The Speeds Matters site has a lot of great tools.
Thanks! Ann