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Farm Fresh Broadband: The Politics of Rural Connectivity
An analysis of the failure of U.S. broadband policy to solve the rural–urban digital divide, with a proposal for a new national rural broadband plan.
As much of daily life migrates online, broadband—high-speed internet connectivity—has become a necessity. The widespread lack of broadband in rural America has created a stark urban–rural digital divide. In Farm Fresh Broadband , Christopher Ali analyzes the promise and the failure of national rural broadband policy in the United States and proposes a new national broadband plan. He examines how broadband policies are enacted and implemented, explores business models for broadband providers, surveys the technologies of rural broadband, and offers case studies of broadband use in the rural Midwest.
Ali argues that rural broadband policy is both broken and broken because it lacks coordinated federal leadership and incomplete because it fails to recognize the important roles of communities, cooperatives, and local providers in broadband access. For example, existing policies favor large telecommunication companies, crowding out smaller, nimbler providers. Lack of competition drives prices up—rural broadband can cost 37 percent more than urban broadband. The federal government subsidizes rural broadband by approximately $6 billion. Where does the money go?
Ali proposes democratizing policy architecture for rural broadband, modeling it after the wiring of rural America for electricity and telephony. Subsidies should be equalized, not just going to big companies. The result would be a multistakeholder system, guided by thoughtful public policy and funded by public and private support.
As much of daily life migrates online, broadband—high-speed internet connectivity—has become a necessity. The widespread lack of broadband in rural America has created a stark urban–rural digital divide. In Farm Fresh Broadband , Christopher Ali analyzes the promise and the failure of national rural broadband policy in the United States and proposes a new national broadband plan. He examines how broadband policies are enacted and implemented, explores business models for broadband providers, surveys the technologies of rural broadband, and offers case studies of broadband use in the rural Midwest.
Ali argues that rural broadband policy is both broken and broken because it lacks coordinated federal leadership and incomplete because it fails to recognize the important roles of communities, cooperatives, and local providers in broadband access. For example, existing policies favor large telecommunication companies, crowding out smaller, nimbler providers. Lack of competition drives prices up—rural broadband can cost 37 percent more than urban broadband. The federal government subsidizes rural broadband by approximately $6 billion. Where does the money go?
Ali proposes democratizing policy architecture for rural broadband, modeling it after the wiring of rural America for electricity and telephony. Subsidies should be equalized, not just going to big companies. The result would be a multistakeholder system, guided by thoughtful public policy and funded by public and private support.
307 pages, Paperback
Published September 21, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
August 8, 2024
This is one of my favorite books for educating others about the ways rural communities are systematically redlined from telecommunications and Internet networks. Ali combines his extraordinary knowledge of telecom policy with a heartfelt appreciation for the experiences of those whose lives and economic mobility are affected by lack of access to phone and Internet service. He studies in particular the situation of rural upper Midwest farmers and the communities of which they are a part.
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March 16, 2022
Un livre intéressant sur les politiques publiques des Etats-Unis pour connecter les territoires ruraux. La situation n'est pas glorieuse, les programmes ne sont pas ambitieux, et subventionnent des technologies décevantes (ex: DSL, satellite, avec des débits commerciaux de 25 Mbit/s descendant, 3 Mbit/s montant). La cartographie de la connectivité du territoire est incomplète (la FCC veut remédier à ça quand même), et les abonnements sont très chers. La crise de la Covid a entraîné une prise de conscience sur le besoin de connectivité, qui ne s'est malheureusement pas encore traduite par un plan de généralisation de la fibre. En lisant le livre, on peut être fier de l'ambition française (opérateurs et Etat) qui mène à une généralisation de la fibre et à une efficacité et compétition qui tire les prix vers le bas. Enfin, il y a quelques longueurs, donc n'hésitez pas à sauter des passages.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews