Affordable high-speed internet access must become universally available in all areas of the nation or rural residents stand to miss out on achieving the American dream, said U.S. Rep. Doug Collins (R-GA) during a May 25 broadband forum held in Dahlonega, Ga.
“You know, I always talk about the economic gap, the opportunity gap, or the economic divide. I call this one a dream divide,” Rep. Collins said in opening the forum, which featured Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Ajit Pai, as well as local representatives, chamber of commerce leaders and internet service providers.
During the forum, which was held to address the challenges of delivering inexpensive, accessible internet access to rural communities, Rep. Collins rhetorically asked, “If the next generation and this current generation is going to dream, is the dream divide keeping them away because we can’t provide broadband service to them?”
The congressman noted the significance of his newly coined phrase by pointing out examples. For instance, the distance someone lives from a university shouldn’t dictate who’s able to take online advanced placement courses, he said. Similarly, if a rural resident owns a business located nearby, that owner should have easy internet connections to it. “It’s a dream divide, so that’s why this is important,” he said.
Among speakers at the forum were Georgia State Rep. Terry Rogers (R-Clarkesville), Paul Belk, president and CEO of North Georgia Network, Steve Fortmann, owner of Paladin Wireless, Dr. Drew van Horn of Young Harris College, and Kevin Woody, a local pharmacist with a store in Lumpkin County, Ga. During the forum, Woody said when the pharmacy’s internet goes out, he’s unable to receive prescriptions from doctors or fill them for patients.
“It matters to this county. It matters to small businesses, but it matters to the individual,” Woody said. “I mean, lives are in danger when internet is not readily available … We can’t care for you as health care practitioners if we don’t have access to broadband service.”
Likewise, van Horn said poor internet access creates a barrier not only to business opportunities, but also for educational prospects. For example, reliable broadband service dictates the college’s ability to offer courses remotely to Towns County High School students, he said.
Fortmann of Paladin Wireless said small internet service providers like Paladin “are going for the last-mile, rural, residential customer. The one that everybody skips across. That’s who we’re going for.”
Fortmann said he has towers located in areas “where there is only like 50 people, but right now those 50 people are getting 100 [mbps] service — out in the middle of nowhere, where cows outnumber the human population.”
“What we saw today was a community willing to come together to solve these problems,” said Rep. Collins after the event ended.
Also following the event, FCC Chairman Pai said, “It was incredible to see some of the energy and passion surrounding internet access here in North Georgia, and, going forward, I think the FCC is committed to being willing to partner to make sure everyone in North Georgia — Dahlonega, surrounding communities — is able to take advantage of what I call ‘digital opportunity.’”
Pai has been traveling extensively to hear from people in areas underserved by internet providers, according to a statement from Rep. Collins’ office, and remains focused on promoting competition, innovation and investment in the nationwide broadband infrastructure.
Additionally, Rep. Collins on June 12, 2017 introduced the bicameral Gigabit Opportunity (GO) Act, H.R. 2870, which would incentivize broadband investment in rural communities and dovetails with the FCC’s efforts to expand broadband access, according to a summary provided by his staff.
Among other provisions, the GO Act would incentivize private investment in rural broadband by allowing companies to defer certain capital gains taxes when they convert those gains to long-term investments in broadband infrastructure within state-designated Gigabit Opportunity Zones, according to the summary.
Cosponsors of H.R. 2870 include U.S. Reps. John Moolenaar (R-MI) and Susan Brooks (R-IN). The measure has been referred to both the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee and the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Communications and Technology.
H.R. 2870 is the identical bill to the same-named S. 1013, a bipartisan proposal introduced on May 3, 2017 by U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) and cosponsored by U.S. Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE). The Senate measure is under consideration by the U.S. Senate Finance Committee.