Universal Broadband for a Rural Region

UBER UPDATES April 2010 Read January 2010 Read September 2009 READ March 2009 READ November 2008 READ

Making broadband internet service available to "the last mile" of rural Wisconsin is the goal of a new regional economic development effort called UBER (universal broadband for a rural region). 

The premise of UBER is that a public-private partnership effort is essential to achieve universal broadband.    Recently, several UBER supporters and I met with staff from the WI Department of Commerce and Public Service Commission. 

We discussed many of the benefits of universal broadband for farmers and other rural businesses, workers, students, and elderly to access health care services that can allow them keep living at home and to provide parity for taxpayers to access government services.  We asked for funding support to implement several UBER goals and tasks to achieve a regional universal broadband plan.  Because broadband access is a workforce development issue, we will also ask for implementation funds from WIRED, a federal grant for workforce/economic development projects in the 12 counties of the Southwest and South-Central Workforce Development Boards.

Become an UBER supporter by sending an email with "UBER Supporter" in the subject line to sen.schultz@legis.wi.gov and you'll receive  future UBER Updates.  And please, forward this to those you know that may be stuck with dial-up!  Thank you.

More about UBER:

• Public-private partnership
• Benefits of Universal Broadband
• Parity for taxpayers to access government services
• UBER Goals and Tasks
• Bringing Broadband to Rural and Low-Income Families

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Public-private partnership

UBER recognizes that lack of broadband infrastructure is a major unmet need for many who reside outside cities and villages.  Most of those rural residents have no access to affordable broadband service.   UBER seeks partners who want to help prompt a broad-based public-private partnership to extend broadband service to the ‘last mile’ where rural residents live and work on farms and other businesses and need to access virtual job centers, distance education and other government services.   UBER seeks to establish a grassroots community system to enhance computer literacy and broadband use for workers, students and all residents. The idea is to bring together libraries, educators at all levels, students private investors, foundations, employers, workers, economic and workforce development leaders, local government officials and telecommunications providers for effective collaboration to achieve universal broadband.

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Benefits of Universal Broadband

- Enhances rural residents' parity in access to government services

- Enables more rural residents to work from home, enhancing public safety during snow storms, etc.

- Provides time- and place-bound residents the ability to work from home and participate in distance education

- Helps rural employers recruit knowledge/talent workers and stem rural brain-drain

- Gives people the choice of where to live and thrive, unrestricted by broadband availability

- Helps rural residents adapt to changing education and skill demands to remain globally competitive

- Enables farmers to direct market goods and be more successful entrepreneurs

- Provides environmental benefits from avoided vehicle travel, plus energy cost savings.

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Parity for taxpayers to access government services

All taxpayers deserve access to the government services they're paying for.  An example is the state's new online "virtual" job center that replaces the job center offices being closed throughout rural Wisconsin.  It's simply not acceptable to tell a large segment of our rural population that, to access a government service, they must seek out a computer at a public library during certain hours for a limited time period, when urban and suburban residents can access the same service from home 24/7.  Without a public-private partnership, the private sector alone is not planning or investing to extend affordable broadband access to all rural areas.

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UBER Goals and Tasks

UBER seeks to begin the process of making affordable broadband universally available in Wisconsin.  UBER has two primary goals, to help lower costs toward broadband development and to increase computer literacy and broadband use for rural residents.  UBER calls for a plan to bring universal broadband to a region. Then, to acheive the plan, seek investments from public and private sources including federal, state and local governments, telecommunication providers and foundationspursue investments to achieve the plan.

UBER initial tasks toward developing a plan for universal broadband include:

1. Map the broadband inventory to define un-served, underserved and served areas for broadband availability
   
   
2. Map the broadband infrastructure including existing towers and fiber optic lines, and water towers and other potential antennae sites
   
   
3. Interview incumbent and prospective new-entry providers to understand fiber optic ownership and management and barriers and opportunities for investing to provide universal broadband access
   
   
4. Propose models for public-private cooperation and partnership to provide broadband
   
   
5. Research technology models to consider and recommend models to pursue

UBER tasks to increase computer literacy and broadband use for rural residents includes: 

1. Survey a statistically valid sample of underserved and un-served workers, businesses and residents to understand the level of computer use, broadband awareness and value attached to existing and prospective broadband needs and uses
   
   
2. Propose a regional stakeholder team and community leadership teams to sustain universal broadband development strategies
   
   
3. Obtain resolutions and letters of support from participating stakeholders including units of government, rural employers, entrepreneurs, education institutions, libraries, workforce development agencies, and telecommunication providers
   
   
4. Develop community broadband development teams with stakeholder representation to:
   
   
   1. Educate the region's leaders and residents about broadband current and future applications, benefits to rural economics and quality of life benefits
      
      
   2. Develop and implement a public-private partnership model
      
      
   3. Establish local standards for broadband quality based on needs of workers, employers, schools, healthcare providers, and government
      
      
   4. Solicit from providers proposed broadband build-out business plans that meet local needs
      
      
   5. Seek investment capital
      
      
   6. Facilitate tower and antennae sites and access to lit fiber optic
      
      
   7. Enhance rural residents' computer literacy
      
      
   8. Increase broadband use by rural workers, employers and other residents
      
      
   9. Leverage enhanced broadband access via strategies to:
      
      
      • Retain graduates from local high schools and colleges
        
        
      • Attract technology workers and businesses
        

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Bringing Broadband to Rural and Low-Income Families

This two-page brief from the National Conference of State Legislatures suggests we may be on the right track.
Read here

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