4 Ways to Bring Broadband to Rural Communities
ISPs are innovating to find solutions that connect the last 10% of Americans and close the digital divide.
In the last 100 years, there has been no technology as transformative as the internet, which has dramatically changed the way we live, work, learn and play. The internet has revolutionized commerce and changed how we do our jobs. It keeps families connected to their loved ones and opens up a world of knowledge for students to complete their homework. And so much more.
The internet now reaches about 95% of American homes, thanks in part to the $290 billion that America’s cable industry has injected to build a nationwide infrastructure of robust, high-speed broadband networks.
All of the benefits that the internet brings underscores the need to connect those communities without access to broadband, commonly referred to as closing the digital divide. Nearly 10% of Americans, mostly in rural communities, are still not connected to the internet. At a time when 81% of people report being online daily, it can be hard to fathom a life without internet connectivity at all.
“I think solving the rural broadband issue is the seminal issue of infrastructure today,” says Michael Powell, President & CEO of NCTA — The Internet & Television Association and former FCC Chairman. “I don’t think you can be an active participant in society or the economy without being able to access that infrastructure.”
“I think solving the rural broadband issue is the seminal issue of infrastructure today.”
The cable industry was founded as a service that used wires to connect rural communities to broadcast TV signals which couldn’t travel far enough through the air. Those same cable providers have eagerly deployed broadband networks in rural communities, working side-by-side with community members and policy leaders to help shrink the digital divide.
The cable industry is committed to supporting and implementing innovative solutions to reach those who still lack broadband today. Four in particular stand out:
1. Public-Private Partnerships
Making broadband available to rural communities often requires collaboration. With a supportive government partner, much more can be done by both the local entities and the service providers to make broadband accessible. “When you have a public-private partnership, that shifts the burden from the government to the local provider,” said Terry Ellis, Comcast Vice President of Government and Regulatory Affairs. “From there, you’re providing the match funding to get the network built. That private provider will then operate and maintain that network going forward so that the taxpayers are protected from having to additionally subsidize that network …” Comcast recently worked with the Massachusetts Broadband Institute at MassTech to expand gigabit internet service to nine more remote towns in the western part of the state.
In Virginia, Cox Communications worked alongside the Virginia Telecommunications Initiative (VATI) to expand a fiber optic network in northern Gloucester County. Broadband access transformed the opportunities available to this community, allowing residents of this rural area to open home-businesses and take advantage of telecommuting options. “That is one of the huge benefits of a project like this where we’re partnering with a locality because they’re going to reap the benefits of everything we continue to do with our network moving forward,” said Barrett Stork, Cox Director of Government and Regulatory Affairs.
2. Community Calls to Action
Where public funds are not available, community calls to action have proven to be an effective method of expanding broadband access to rural areas. These initiatives often require community members to first come together to assess and identify their needs, from homes and household connections to businesses that could benefit from broadband access. By doing this with the everyone in mind, rather than advocating as individuals, communities can prove that the need and volume of subscribers exist to make a strong business case that encourages ISPs to invest in connecting the area.
In 2015, a group of community members in St. Francis, Kansas, a rural town in the northwest of the state, formed an internet committee and partnered with Eagle Communications to spearhead a fiber project that would bring broadband internet to the remote community. At first, the committee struggled to obtain enough signatures to justify Eagle’s investment in the infrastructure, but Eagle decided to fund the project on their own, inspired by the possibility of connecting a community that had otherwise fallen off the map. “Now this town has an advantage over other small towns,” says Robert Grace, a St. Francis resident and owner of an agricultural aviation company. “If you want to move out in the country and you want to move to a small town where housing prices are cheap and there’s no traffic, you need a high speed internet connection. Not every small town has that.”
3. Fixed Wireless
In other areas of the country, the terrain surrounding remote communities can pose an issue for connectivity. Where miles of wilderness and farmland separate neighbors, the challenges to deploying a fiber network are often prohibitive. Instead of laying miles and miles of fiber to connect a single home, ISPs like Midco, are deploying fixed wireless technologies to cover the last mile to the customer. With fixed wireless, data travels over a pre-existing hard-wired network to a ‘fiber backhaul tower’ where it then travels over the air up to five miles away. The data can be relayed from tower to tower, similar to how a cell network operates, in some cases up to 50 miles away from the fiber network, until it reaches a home equipped with a special receiver. The “Midco Edge Out” network provides homes with the same download speeds needed to deliver 4K streaming, gaming systems, and can serve multiple users with multiple devices in the same household.
Other ISPs, including Charter, are actively working to hone fixed wireless solutions to reach additional customers. “We’re looking to see how we can use new wireless technologies to expand the reach of our network,” explained Colleen King, Charter Vice President of Regulatory Affairs, whose company has been testing fixed wireless technology in the 3.5ghz spectrum band since 2017, with the hope of finding sustainable solutions to connect more and more Americans.
4. Improved Broadband Mapping
Finally, it’s important to note that the starting point for effective rural broadband programs is knowing where service is available and where it is not. This requires an accurate broadband map and data set so that resources can be dedicated to those unserved communities where the need is greatest.
Fortunately, the FCC recently took action to improve its broadband data collection practices that will involve fixed broadband providers submitting more granular electronic coverage maps than the current practice. This more granular data collection will lead to a more accurate broadband map and better targeting of federal resources.
Closing the digital divide and connecting rural America to broadband requires collaboration and innovation across the board. To close the current gaps and connect all Americans, it’s crucial that communities, policymakers, and ISPs work together to find lasting solutions. With the right policies in place and with industry and government working in partnership toward a common purpose, we’ll continue to make progress towards a shared goal of bringing broadband to all Americans.
