Last fall, IMPACT 20/20 started a campaign to advocate for and promote broadband for the region. Part of their strategy seems to be to chime in on federal requests for opinions and ideas and to keep the public informed of what they are doing and why. It seems like a good strategy to me and according to a recent article in the Crookston Times, it seems to be going well…
Although the private sector has been successful in bringing affordable high-speed Internet access service to most Americans, bringing broadband to unserved or underserved areas and promoting adoption of services by underserved segments of the population (e.g. low-income consumers) will require sufficient financial support from the federal government. IMPACT 20/20 believes that the USF will be a critical component in providing universal and equitable access to broadband services.
It should be noted that the USF is not funded by tax dollars. It is funded each time a phone bill is paid. A quick look at any phone bill will reveal a line item labeled “Federal USF Charge.” These funds are paid to the federal government and placed in a pool. In the past, these pooled funds were restricted to supporting the installation of telephone service. The recommended reform would remove the restriction and allow the funds to also support the installation of high-speed broadband services.
IMPACT 20/20 has set a goal that all residents of the region will have access to broadband speeds of at least 10 Mb download and 5 Mb upload. Currently, the average download speed in northwest Minnesota is only 2.4 and the average upload speed is only 0.8. (Source: Minnesota Ultra High-speed Broadband Report.) A quick comparison of urban vs. rural speeds highlights great disparity. While broadband has the potential of leveling the playing field between rural and urban areas, a lack of investment into infrastructure in rural areas will further deepen the digital divide. Large pockets of our country – including Northwest Minnesota – will be left behind. USF reform is an important step in correcting the inequity.