Sagging economy needs a broadband face lift

Broadband is widely viewed as an enabling technology that will eventually change the way Americans live and work. The Redwood Coast Connect (RCC) report touts that it can provide an economic catalyst for rural communities by allowing them to work from remote locations, but allowing them to keep clientele in a global market.

Spearheaded in part by California Gov. Schwarzenegger’s Broadband Task Force, the recently released RCC report on bringing the Internet to rural, under-served communities highlights the benefits which accompany those with strong reliable Internet access. The report is also funded in part by the Headwaters fund. The Headwaters fund is public money that is used for the advancement of business projects, and the California Emerging Technology Fund.

What the RCC plan has done is what former mayor and Arcata City Councilwoman Connie Stewart did. Stewart took an active role in addressing major public-policy issues including health care, economic development, infrastructure and the environment. She explained that an outline of what needs to happen has been created with this report.

The plan now is to build lines, if possible along highway 299. There is, however, obstacles posed by the permit process. Groups, such as the Environmental Protection Agency, Coast Commission, State Parks, Caltrans and the Department of Fish and Game (just to name a few) have to compromise and find middle-ground that will appease both builders and conservationists for the plan to move forward. Gov. Schwarzenegger recently cut the red tape allowing the project to take off.

According to the CIA world fact-book, 223 million people in the United States have access to the Internet. That means 70 percent of the U.S. has the Internet. As the report illustrates, a community’s inability to integrate new technologies means it will be left behind as the rest of the world moves forward.

Providing reliable Internet service to rural areas like Mendocino County would speed up the development of their infrastructure, and lead to an increase in many facets of life. Better communications for law enforcement provides better security, and it also improves safety by providing faster service to hospitals which is the sum of Executive Order S-21-06 ordered by Gov Schwarzenegger in 2006.

Humboldt County, Trinity, Del Norte, and Mendocino counties (11,000 square miles) all intend to be connected. According to the RCC report, the counties combined cover an area the same size as Connecticut and New Jersey put together.

Mendocino County is, as described by the RCC report, under-served. Sally Palacio, part of Mendocino’s Advanced Planning Team, said though the county itself has urged and pushed for broadband Internet connection, it simply has no jurisdiction to tell SBC and AT&T where to start building. Which is why the RCC report will be presented to neighboring communities in hopes that broadband will help the counties become better connected, what the Emergency Technology Fund refers to as “bridging the digital divide.”

2 comments

just Joseph here

Sun Mar 8 2009 22:36

Two decades ago I lived & worked in Humboldt & Mendocino Counties, moving in 1995 to Washington, then Oregon. I remember at least one highly touted expensive consulting firm's report. It "found" the reason for difficulties in replacing the declining timber industry with other similarly paying industries was that Northwestern Counties were "geographically remote". Transportation was the first problem cited. There being no contiguous rail transportation for freight operations at that time. The second was Communications. There being "normal" phone service. That overpaid study "found" only what the residents & business people already knew. It was news to the government entities that commissioned the report. What did the local governments do for you in the ensuing 15 to 20 years? What have they done lately? Although I find "Arnie" to be politically opposed to my views over half the time, he is doing some really good things. Draggin' you folks into the 21st century (through no effort of your own) is one of his actions I applaud! Sorry if I was a bit sarcastic, but my impression of you folks in that area is that you all are politically naive, believing that government is something that doesn't involve you, just takes care of you. I moved on to other locales where people actively participate in their own governance and growth.

Alberta

Fri Mar 6 2009 02:38

Hard to view most content on websites like President's Obama's with 24 k dialup. Impossible to work from home. But no company wants to bring high speed to the Mendocino Coast.

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