There are many things we use in the course of our daily lives that we take for granted. I recently discovered how my normal life has become dependent upon internet access when the wireless network malfunctioned at our home. This was an inconvenience for me, but for those people who have no internet connection at all it adversely affects their lives in multiple ways.
Deployment of broadband infrastructure in those areas that have no access has become more important than ever. You would think that the lack of access is isolated only to the most rural parts of Elmore County but that is not the case. Many people live in or near densely populated areas of the county, but in order to have access it would require lines to be extended.
This link will take you to a map ( https://broadbandmap.fcc.gov/#/ ) on the FCC website where providers are reporting the availability of internet access, the number of providers in an area and available internet speeds along with other information. Be aware these maps are generated from data submitted by providers and is shown based on the 2010 Census Blocks so providers may not have service to all addresses within the census block that they provide service.
As a side note, what is a census block? Census blocks are created from data collected when a census is performed every ten years and is how the population data is broken down into smaller identifiable areas within a larger area (*sample census block map below).
The maps on this FCC site are very interesting to see which areas of Elmore County have broadband access and those that do not and at what connection speeds. What is also interesting is to see the broadband access availability in nearby counties that providers are reporting.
Cable operators have expressed their inability to extend lines in Elmore County if that investment in infrastructure doesn’t result in a positive financial return. That fact is understandable because they are in business to report a profit. One option is for a citizen to pay to have the line extended in order to gain access but unfortunately that is cost prohibitive in most situations. However, there are provisions in Section 706 of the Telecommunication Act of 1996** where the FCC can work to encourage deployment and remove barriers presently preventing deployment of broadband infrastructure if the FCC determines broadband is not being deployed in a timely fashion. We hope the current administration in Washington will continue to work on removing any barriers identified and encourage both public and private investment in the deployment of needed broadband infrastructure.
I feel this lack of broadband infrastructure will eventually be resolved by private investment using the most advanced technology available.
Bart
* Source – Census Bureau (census.gov)
** Source – Federal Communications Commission (fcc.gov)
