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Gov. Josh Shapiro’s visit to the Pittston Memorial Library to talk about more than a billion dollars for high speed broadband brought attention to a much ignored problem locally, statewide and across the nation. And it’s been ignored precisely because it affects a relatively small number of people: affordable broadband access in our lightly-populated rural areas.
Shapiro unveiled a plan for federal funds available through President Joe Biden’s “internet for all” initiative. As staff writer Bill O’Boyle reported, he promised the five-year project will bring high-speed internet access to every Pennsylvania community, and therefore, theoretically, to every Pennsylvanian who wants it.
Shapiro offered some statistics that have been backed up through various studies and surveys, but for many people the data isn’t necessary, they know the problem from first-hand experience in trying to get reliable, fast access to the internet.
“More than 7,000 locations in Luzerne County are currently unserved or under-served,” he said. Across the state, more than 276,000 households, businesses, schools and libraries don’t have access to broadband at all, and another 52,000 don’t have access to reliable broadband.
It’s no surprise that many of them are in more remote areas. Leaving capitalism to its own devices means companies providing service go to the more densely populated areas because so many potential customers are available in a relatively small space. Building wireless towers or laying cable to rural areas for a handful of customers cuts into profits.
This creates a “digital divide” in a world where nearly everyone needs to be connected. Most of us take internet access for granted, for social interaction, working at home, accessing telemedicine, ordering items to be delivered directly to us, online education and much more.
At Shapiro’s Pittston appearance, Kristin Ahearn gave one example of the impact of poor or no web service. As Prevention of Blindness Coordinator for Northeast Sight Services in Exeter, she was joined by four visually challenged clients who participate in the agency’s MYWork Program. Having high speed access, she said, would help clients learn more at a faster pace.
Reliable, affordable high-speed internet access has gone from being a luxury to being a necessity if we want people to reach their full potential and if we want to compete at the state level in the economy. Making sure everyone has access doesn’t just help them, it helps us all.
“Connecting people to high speed, affordable internet, right now, will help grow our economy and strengthen our communities,” Shapiro said.
Internet access in and of itself is not always a plus. We’ve seen plenty of abuse by malevolent actors breaching security efforts and scamming the unwary or unfortunate. The deliberately addictive designs of many apps can cut productivity as much as proper internet use can improve it. And there are important questions about privacy and the rapid evolution of artificial intelligence.
But the reality these days is that you can’t get a reliable, high-speed internet connection, you are at a disadvantage in many situations. It’s one thing to have the choice not to connect to the web, but many people still don’t get to decide.
— Times Leader