Four Takeaways from “Digital Divide” on Internet Service Gaps
Fellow Rick Barrett talked with experts about solutions to lack of access to high-speed internet
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By Ziyang Fu and Rachel Ryan
Funding isn’t the only answer to fixing the digital divide. It’s just as much about execution. That was the consensus of panelists at Tuesday’s virtual broadband event aimed at finding solutions to the problem.
“If we are not really aggressive and thoughtful in our approach, we run the risk of putting people who are already disconnected…further left behind,” said panelist Vickie Robinson, general manager of Microsoft Corp.’s Airband Initiative.
The panel was hosted by Fellow and Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporter Rick Barrett and former O’Brien reporting intern Kelli Arseneau.
The event was organized by the Journal Sentinel, the O’Brien Fellowship in Public Service Journalism at Marquette University and the USA TODAY NETWORK — Wisconsin.
Here are four takeaway from their discussion:
1. There needs to be better data and mapping.
Part of the way to solve the digital divide is to figure out who isn’t connected and prioritize getting broadband to those areas, said Shirley Bloomfield, CEO of NTCA –The Rural Broadband Association. That requires looking at the data. But it doesn’t help that some of the data is flawed.
If you compare the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) data with Microsoft’s — which focuses on the number of people actually using high-speed internet — you see a different picture, said Robinson. FCC data indicates that Milwaukee County is 100% covered, Robinson said, but if you examine Microsoft’s data, there are just under 400,000 people who aren’t connected.
The current maps are about a useful as a cave drawing, said Barry Orton, professor emeritus, University of Wisconsin-Madison.
In other words, the broadband maps aren’t good enough.
And having a better sense of the map and data for coverage helps officials dictate spending on the issue.
“We cannot afford to sit back and wait for the FCC,” said Rebecca Cameron Valcq, chairperson of the Wisconsin Public Service Commission.
2. There cannot be a one size fits all approach.
There is no one unified solution that can solve every household’s internet problem. In Wisconsin, some residents cannot get fiber access because the cranberry bogs in the state make it impossible to bury fibers in some places.
Even though fiber is currently the best internet technology out there, sometimes residents need to turn to other solutions like fixed wireless or satellite because of their specific circumstances.
Communities that are struggling to get internet access are not fighting alone. Some companies and non-profit organizations like the Vilas County Economic Development Corp. are dedicated to exploring the best strategy for residents to get internet depending on where they are.
“Because we have a number of different internet service providers, we don’t really have a one size fits all kind of solution available. So, we’re working with each of the different communities to help define what is the best strategy for them, and then to work together with the ISPs (internet service providers)…to accomplish that,” said Jim Tuckwell, the chairman of the Vilas County Economic Development Corp.
3. Affordability and lack of options is a barrier to service.
Bridging the digital divide is not only about accessibility, but also the affordability of people who are in need of the internet. Based on an offline report released by EducationSuperHighway, 49% of the Wisconsin population doesn’t have broadband due to affordability, Valcq mentioned.
Jim Paine, the mayor of the City of Superior, said the government there is starting an open-access network where the residents can switch their service at any time if they don’t like it. Compared to the private sector, which can cost residents up to hundreds of dollars for high-speed internet access, the public sector option offered by Superior keeps the price down to a $55 maximum per month, making internet more accessible to every household.
“Broadband is not a luxury, it is a necessity… for everyday living,” said Valcq.
4. This is a hurry up and wait situation.
Broadband access isn’t something that’s going to be fixed overnight, and there are a number of reasons for that. When funding is allocated, it takes a while for it to move down the line into action.
Bloomfield said she doesn’t expect to see money from the federal infrastructure bill going out the door and onto the ground until the first part of 2023. That’s because people will be contesting things, rules must be written, and states have to figure out distribution based on their underserved areas.
Supply chain issues also slow down the process. Keith Gabbard, CEO of Peoples Rural Telephone Cooperative in McKee, Kentucky, ordered fiber optic cables a couple of months ago. The estimated wait time is 12 months.
“If we had all the fiber we ordered sitting in our warehouse, we would be building a lot more, a lot more quickly,” Gabbard said.
There’s also an issue with getting workers trained so that officials can put people on the ground to dig trenches and climb poles.
Factoring in these supply chain issues to existing funding is also critical to making sure no one gets left behind, said Robinson.
Listen to the full panel discussion here.
Rick Barrett was an O’Brien Fellow in 2020–21. He investigated the lack of access to high-speed internet in rural areas and urban areas of Wisconsin. Reporting interns Kelli Arseneau and Chris Miller assisted Barrett in the project.
