Broadband: An entrepreneurial requirement

July 28th, 2010 by

I’ve been thinking about broadband a bit lately with the approaching Midwest Rural Assembly.  Spreading broadband to more rural communities was front-and-center at last years’ Assembly.  I’m sure it will be a hot topic again this year.

Broadband helps Break Barriers of Distance

Those of us who live and work in rural communities know the importance of high speed Internet connections.  Because of it, the barriers of distance are broken and more businesses are possible in small towns.  In fact, just the other week I met with an entrepreneur from Howard, SD whose business would not be possible without it.  The owner has an engineering background, and he needs the Internet to connect with clients around the country.  He’s a creative guy and wants to live in a rural community.  Without broadband, he might have to consider moving to a city.

Howard is lucky to have high-speed Internet, but not all rural places are that lucky.  My experience in rural economic development tells me that those communities who lack broadband access have little opportunity to attract entrepreneurs.  And without entrepreneurs, they have little future.

Digging into broadband access in South Dakota, I learned that 81% of South Dakotans currently have high speed access.  sources: (Broadband for America)  That will increase with the latest round of federal funding recently announce (link), but I doubt it reaches the current access rates in Finland, where 96% has high speed access.  (source:  “Finland makes Broadband a legal right,” BBC News, July 1, 2010)

 

More Can Be Done

It is in the long-term interest of the US to spread broadband access to every small town, so more people like my entrepreneur friend, can live where they choose without being limited to densely populated, and therefore connected, areas. Finland’s move to make access to broadband a “right” is dramatic (although mostly symbolic, since, as previously stated, 96% are already connected) proclamation that broadband is the way of the future; a statement that I strongly agree with.

What is important for us to focus on is that rural communities need to foster entrepreneurial economies, and those entrepreneurial economies require broadband access.   Lack of broadband access is like a death sentence for any community, large or small.  And that’s something nobody wants to see.

 

Note:  Broadband for America’s mission is “to make broadband access to the Internet available to every household in the nation….”  The map on their homepage makes it easy see to how accessible broadband is on a state-by-state basis.  You may also want to check out their blog.

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