Two western senators want to expand access to a $4 billion federal program that allows public schools and libraries throughout the United States to obtain high-speed internet at affordable rates. The senators say it’s one way to close the digital divide across American Indian communities and other rural areas.
Librarians, policymakers, and other experts gathered in Washington, D.C., last week for a panel discussion on the needs of tribal communities. U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich and Dean Heller are sponsoring legislation that would improve and increase access to the internet—mostly at local libraries—for people living in remote areas. The proposed legislation could benefit remote Alaskan villages, New Mexico’s pueblos, Navajo Nation chapter houses, and many other tribal communities.
Federal Communications Commissioner Mignon Clyburn believes investing in broadband infrastructure is critical—because those investments often determine which cities, towns, and tribal nations thrive. Clyburn and others see society as increasingly digital dependent. They point to the advantages of being able to access resources, services, and even health care online. “Just like water, roads, railways, and electricity, broadband is now fundamental when it comes to our community development,” Clyburn says.
Experts say about 14 million Americans living in rural areas and more than 1 million living in tribal communities lack access to mobile broadband. “There are some people who are trying to figure out what G is,” Clyburn says, adding, “I’m serious.”
Without changes like the proposed legislation, Clyburn says the United States may leave an entire generation of rural residents offline.
What do you see as the benefits to internet access in rural areas? What are the downsides?
(AP Photo: FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn)
