WICHITA, Kan. — Nearly one-third of Kansas residents live in rural areas and may lack access to high-speed Internet. Significantly slower Internet access in rural areas creates a rural/urban digital divide and without access to Internet, rural residents lose out on opportunities that urban residents take for granted. In an interconnected world, access to broadband is a necessity.
Rural Kansans have less access to technology that would allow them a greater ability to do business, access healthcare and education, and improve their agricultural industry. This means individuals in rural areas are unable to take full advantage of the economic and educational opportunities available to their urban counterparts.
As the business manager at RMA Engineering, my job relies heavily on my ability to connect with people in different parts of the country. Although we are headquartered in Minneapolis, Kansas, we utilize virtual offices on projects throughout western Kansas. Access to broadband is essential with every project we undertake; ensuring connectivity is critical when working on projects because it constitutes linking many parties with different expertise.
As technology continues to advance, business practices will evolve as well. Increasingly, companies, like RMA Engineering, will turn to virtual offices. This allows businesses to have team members located across the country, increasing collaboration while reducing a business’ carbon footprint. However, if increasing access to broadband does not become a top priority, then businesses in rural areas will not be able to evolve.
Additionally, I must point out how technology advances have become essential to how farmers conduct their day-to-day operations. Growing up on a farm and still helping from time to time, I have seen how the Internet has altered a farmer’s work, such as the implementation of precision farming to improve yields and conserve resources. Unfortunately, a lack of high-speed broadband hinders the use of these new technological resources, therefore, putting some rural farmers at a disadvantage.
Currently, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) reports that 19.4 million people in rural America still lack access to broadband, limiting our ability to connect. Within the next five years, Connect Americans Now plans to eliminate the rural broadband gap, giving rural populations the ability to partake in a critical component of modern life that they’ve been sorely lacking. By utilizing TV white space technology, Connect Americans Now can expand broadband access to rural areas. This technology is more reliable than dial-up and is less expensive than running fiber cables in rural areas. Connect Americans Now can cut operating costs by roughly 80 percent compared to conventional cable Internet by utilizing TV white space technology.
That is why I call on Senators Moran and Roberts to eliminate the digital divide and call on the FCC to ensure that there is sufficient spectrum available for wireless use on an unlicensed basis in every market in the country. They have a duty to their constituents to make access to broadband a reality. I believe in equal opportunity, where you live should not determine your ability to be successful or hinder your ability to access the same services that are widely available most places. However, without access to critical technologies we are limiting rural communities’ opportunities to excel. If broadband access is not addressed, the rural broadband gap will continue to negatively impact Kansas and its citizens.
It is time to bring rural Kansas into the 21st century and connect all Americans. With the help of Kansas’ senators and congressmen, we can close the rural broadband gap in the next five years.
— Keli Habiger, Kansas Granger
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