MinnPost recently ran an article on the high tech immigration issue. Some folks want to open the door wider for skilled technology workers to come into the US; some folks want to hold off on visa and give any jobs to “qualified Americans” first.
The debate reminds me of the broadband in discussion in that one side is focusing on how the US competes with the rest of the world and the other side is focused on internal issues only. For the US I think the short term answer will be a hybrid solution – but the long term answer is something else. In terms of getting qualified tech workers, Aman Kapoor, a private tech entrepreneur in Florida offers what I think is the best and most obvious long term solution:
“The bigger policy debate is what the U.S. education system should be like,” Kapoor said. “Will the next generation have better skills? That’s how you make a nation more competitive.”
In terms of broadband I think there’s a tension between ubiquitous access, world class speeds and affordability. Again in the short term, I think the answer will be a hybrid solution but there’s a long term answer too. I don’t know what that is yet – but it’s going to take long term planning and investment. An off the cuff brainstorm, maybe the plan is to call broadband a utility to promote ubiquity and teach people how to use it to make the market demand world class speeds. The increase in demand should help lower costs or at least the shift in use may expand consumers’ definition of affordable.
What I do know for sure is that we need to start long term planning soon – like yesterday – and yet much of what I’ve seen happening is still pretty short term. One of the things I’m looking forward to most at the November Blandin Broadband Conference, is the University Student Competition. Colleges and universities across Minnesota have been invited to develop presentations illustrating their view of a how a tech savvy rural community will successfully function in the year 2020. I think getting the students of today to think about the future is a great start.