Sorry Ken,
Your answer is too long for your servant to read it - but copper being replaced
by fiber optics is a fact here - huge public investment lately.
Now, you folks may be at variance with it of course, and I was tempted to write
naturally, yet, it is not far from what bipartisan collaboration recommends
over there ;-)
*MY bold characters ...
No matter where you live, rural broadband is a big issue in Virginia
By Mark Sickles and Nick Rush Dec. 13, 2019
Mark Sickles, a Democrat, and Nick Rush, a Republican, serve in the Virginia
House of Delegates.
Bipartisan collaboration plays an essential role in the economic health and
growth of the commonwealth and has proved critical in fueling the state’s
record low unemployment rate and booming economic growth.
But for crucial growth to continue, legislators must also look beyond their own
districts, as we have. For one of us, Del. Nick Rush, whose district spans the
New River Valley in Southwest Virginia, this means a vote in favor of an
incentive package for Amazon that will bring thousands of jobs to Virginia
<https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-hq2-national-landing-headquarters-built-in-arlington-2018-11>.
Though these jobs will not be in his district, they will benefit the
commonwealth as a whole. For the other, Del. Mark Sickles, who represents
Fairfax County, it means support for broadband
<https://www.facebook.com/VARuralBroadbandCoalition/> grant programs for
unserved regions of Virginia.
Much like the impact of the Amazon expansion in Northern Virginia, broadband
deployment stands to be an economic game-changer for rural and suburban
communities, and the commonwealth must continue aggressively investing in
bridging the digital divide.
The economic implications of broadband expansion, while not necessarily as high
profile as a new corporate headquarters, are staggering. According to the U.S.
Agriculture Department, if farmers could use precision agriculture
technologies, agricultural output would increase by 16 percent nationwide. At
$70 billion a year <https://www.farmflavor.com/virginia-agriculture/>,
agriculture is Virginia’s largest economic sector by a mile. Even if only half
that amount came to be, an 8 percent increase in agriculture output in Virginia
would still infuse billions of dollars into Virginia’s economy.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and Amazon took a broader look at the impact of
broadband availability on each state’s economy. For Virginia, the results were
stunning
<https://www.uschamber.com/co/good-company/launch-pad/digital-key-rural-american-economic-growth-amazon>:
a more than $2 billion increase
<https://americaninnovators.com/rural-report/#state_VA> in annual sales, 9,415
new jobs and $452 million in new annual wages.
The return on investment is clear. State support to build out broadband
infrastructure is repaid many times over by any measure of economic outcomes.
But access to the Internet goes beyond dollars and cents. This is an equity
issue. Today’s students need access to the learning tools the Internet offers
whether they live in Floyd or Fairfax. Likewise, innovations in telehealth are
unavailable to patients without high-speed Internet at home. Lives can be
drastically improved and even saved by increasing broadband access.
Broadband is increasingly comparable with roads or electricity — commerce and
communication depend on them. Imagine how any modern community would fare
without access to roads or electricity. Businesses would suffer. Homes would be
sold at lower cost. Young people would move away. These are the challenges
facing Virginia’s rural communities, where there are an estimated 600,000
people without access to the Internet
<https://www.vachamber.com/2019/11/22/increasing-support-for-virginias-broadband-needs-an-update-from-the-commonwealths-chief-broadband-advisor-evan-feinman/>.
As members of the House Appropriations Committee, we took action to address the
digital divide in the budget this year, increasing the state broadband grant
program fivefold from a $4 million to $19 million. This $19 million grant round
closed in early September and received more than $43 million in requests from
55 different localities. This is the fourth year in a row the program has
received more than double in requests than available funds.
Virginians, whether served or not, recognize the importance of universal
broadband coverage. That is why we pledge to support increased broadband
funding ahead of the 2020 General Assembly session. We can’t take our foot off
the gas until all 600,000 unserved Virginians are connected.
Source :
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/local-opinions/no-matter-where-you-live-rural-broadband-is-a-big-issue-in-virginia/2019/12/11/0a3faa6e-1b96-11ea-87f7-f2e91143c60d_story.html
Amities
Philippe
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