There are several causes, some of them less than noble, for the economic inequality between urban and rural areas (and also within those areas). One factor that, if adjusted, could even the odds is equitable availability of broadband Internet in rural areas. For documented reasons it is not commercially feasible for private service providers to extend their offerings to sparsely populated areas at affordable prices. These are among the reasons why even most metropolitan communities barely have one broadband ISP. It is also unlikely that the business calculus underlying that will ever change without an adjustment in the fundamentals, thus perpetuating the disparity for demonstrable market reasons. How to escape this trap?
To the point: I think a program to provide Internet service similar to the Rural Electrification program of the 1930s is in order. More is needed than just the broadband pilot programs and procedural changes from the Agricultural Act of 2014. Objections that the private sector can do it better have no empirical justification: Broadband service in rural areas just is not there, and won’t be for the economic reasons noted above. It would be best for Industry to keep their businesses in areas where they can be profitable—and that already takes in a huge swath of economic activity. But don’t impede alternatives in cases where the market can’t meet the needs.
The distributional foundation for an Internet REA is already in place in the form of US Post Office facilities distributed throughout the country, with at least one in each zip code. This would be done by placing at least one fixed wireless access (FWA) point at each of these facilities, most of which are government owned or leased and for which sufficient physical security can be provided. Whether the FWA service is provided by WiMAX, LTE, 5G, or other wireless framework is a separate technical discussion; there is plenty of feasibility to support a decision now to do it. New equipment is becoming available that allows remotely orchestrated firmware upgrades with minimal or no additional capital cost; this is especially true as more infrastructure is becoming software defined and cloud based. After re-running their numbers with an Internet REA scenario, maybe some incumbent providers might decide they’d like to play after all. Please join in and help, and prosper.
Consider this thought experiment: The average square mileage covered by a single zip code in the most spread out state (Alaska) is about 2,437.3 square miles. The nominal distance from the center to the edge of this average zip code is about 27.9 miles. In this most extreme average case, consider that WiMAX technology can cover a theoretical 40 miles (acknowledging terrain and weather variables, and don’t discount renewable powered relay points). LTE and 5G are said by some to be better and cheaper than WiMAX. Most of the flyover states have center to edge distances for their respective average single zip codes ranging from 12.6 miles (Wyoming) to 4.1 miles (Iowa). Some coastal states have greater average single zip code internal distances than Iowa: 4.4 miles for California and Georgia. In those states (such as the CA example above) with large metropolitan areas skewing the computed average distance downward, the rural areas will have farther than indicated for a radio signal to travel, but still within workable planning ranges.
Bottom line: FWA service from Post Office locations can provide a viable framework for minimal full broadband Internet coverage to not just the flyover states, but most of the entire country. It doesn’t have to be with post offices, but when no other alternative locations are available (especially in rural areas) these can fill the gaps.
There are multiple advantages to providing wireless public Internet served from post offices and other public structures. Here are a few to consider:
Fair to rural areas where it’s not commercially viable to serve broadband
Telecom is infrastructure, same as roads, bridges, water, sewer, and power
Set a robust minimum definition of broadband for standard consumers
Businesses with internal higher throughput needs can use private providers
This will attain net neutrality regarding individual consumer access
I consider this proposal to be fully compatible with business friendly principles, while providing essential infrastructure for commerce at all levels. In my opinion it’s just common sense, which can provide economic health for everyone throughout the structure of communities and society.
Start the Internet REA project now.
mcw
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