Broadband As Big As Texas
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has recently released its highly-anticipated National Broadband Plan which, at its core, is a program to bring broadband access to the Internet to every home and business in America.The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has recently released its highly-anticipated National Broadband Plan which, at its core, is a program to bring broadband access to the Internet to every home and business in America.
This strikes a particular note here in Texas because of the sheer size of our state and the need to ensure equal access to technology whether a person lives in Harris County (population about four million) or Loving County (population 42). The vast acreage dedicated to agriculture means that population density is low, but the need for the most modern technology is high.
Having a broadband connection available to every household will make an immediate difference in how Texas educates its children. As we look down the road to high national unemployment for years to come, it is obvious that the better educated a job seeker is, the better chance he or she has of a successful search.
A report by the Joint Economic Committee of the U.S. Congress proves that while the overall unemployment rate remains in the high single digits, people with college degrees is about half the unemployment rate for the entire workforce.
For students in small towns, the ability to get the same research materials from the libraries in the University of Texas system or any library or museum in the world is a huge advantage in getting better grades in high school, qualifying for increasingly competitive seats in our colleges and Universities.
Health care is another area where broadband access has immediate impact. In urban areas, seniors who are living independently can be equipped with relatively inexpensive devices, enabling them to send their vital signs to their physician’s office, rather than having to take an expensive or physically difficult trip. Many physicians say just being able to “see” their patients through a webcam, can help them tell whether any medical intervention is needed.
In rural areas, the ability for a local doctor to call on a specialist at Baylor or M.D. Anderson without having a patient endure hours of travel can make a huge difference in medical care throughout the state. In fact, research into tele-medicine has even shown that after a major procedure, people in rural towns do better because they are more likely to keep up with their post-operative medications and therapy if they can travel to their local medical facility to be checked out by the specialist in Dallas or Houston, rather than facing the long ride to see them in person.
Finally, the ability to build a world-wide business from every den or spare bedroom in Texas has become a realistic dream. People don’t have to work in the high-tech corridor in Austin to be able to create the next “must-have” iPhone app, or produce videos for clients that can be seen by people around the world.
A small manufacturer in San Antonio can market and sell to a potential buyer in London or Rome. And a retailer in Tyler or Kilgore can find and see unique merchandise on the Internet no matter where in the world it is being made. The Internet is a powerful force in the 21st century world. Broadband access to the Internet has gone from a rarity only available to major corporations, government entities, and academic institutions to a necessity which should be available to everyone.
Robert Howden is the Executive Director of Texans for Economic Progress, an Austin-based, non-profit advocacy group that monitors the competitive process in key sectors of the Texas economy. TEP keeps its finger on the pulse of Texans and works closely with elected officials and regulators at the local, state, and federal level to further educate them on issues impacting competition in communications. TEP also works to generate public awareness of how Texans’ lives and finances are impacted by decisions made on these issues by our policy-makers.
