For a huge portion of the past ten years, a huge part of the American people has only had a couple of high speed internet broadband services to choose from. It soon may be one for those who want it for their home as the cable and Verizon deal may change the way home cable and internet is. But the monopoly on broadband will be locked in, AT&T and Verizon will dominate this market of mobile service and will move as they please through the mobile market. This will give the two Verizon and AT&T the ability to manipulate the prices as they feel. The Government needs to step in and re-examine the entire broadband policy so that it will not hurt the under privileged. It is their Constitutional rights to be able to speak about their situations and convey this to the world. The under privileged and the rural areas are already at a disadvantage.
This trend suggests that the government needs to take an in-depth look into needs of the people and change its entire approach create new rules and law for broadband. The international community is taking charge in the aspect of pacing the access for all and the speed of the internet. The U.S. is lagging in the race with their peers. The government/FCC has failed us tremendously in addressing this issue in timely manner. The broadband plan, it is possible that only one service provider will cover three quarters of the U.S. with amazingly fast high speed download speed capabilities.
Most of the world offer some sort of open access and unbundling packaging to create more competition. This is what we need to move forward and create acceptable internet from the bottom to the top. It’s the rights of the people who pay taxes no matter what level of income they are it is their right. The other issue is the government is focused on opening up and freeing up a more powerful mobile broadband spectrum and not looking at how it affects the under privileged who deserve as much as all others the right to have affordable access and access period.
Policy Makers and or the government need focus on the lack of dimensions in the world of broadband. The competition will grow if they do so opening up the market and allow more players into the internet and broad band game. The competition should be encouraged from the community level, from the pubic level, government level, all sectors should encourage this. State legislators should push with tremendous force to create their own community networks. This would push the competition and open a new world of internet access and fast download capabilities at a price that will allow access to the people who may not be able to afford it now.
Tennessee, Chattanooga has set the standard for the state offering a world leading internet broadband and internet service. The speed is not only one of the best in the world but it is also is bringing jobs to the community. The massive internet companies are beating down the door to get into this geographic area. This should serve as a template for the state. The state should throw its weight behind this and push for the communities to develop their own broad band networks. Every major city in the state should develop and adopt this plan. By doing this it would began a movement throughout the state. They are all equipped for this; all have fiber optic cables throughout the cities making them prime for the internet upgrade and their own networks. Making the major companies look for new sources of revenue pushing them into the rural areas and bridging the gap and also bringing in new jobs.
The major companies are the hold back in this; they are the proverbial speed bump. They often throw their weight behind state laws. Claiming that this would be an unfair act if the government was involved in the private sector of business and stifling the movement forward. The companies have promised to upgrade, but to this day nothing has come of theses promises. So it is time for the state to make its big move and do something to move forward with this issue. The state needs to revisit these laws. The infrastructure needs an overhaul not tomorrow but now. Tennessee needs to find the funds to put into this upgrade of the system and help the major cities move into the powerful fiber optic community.
As the people and companies become more and more reliant on high speed internet access for work, education, healthcare and all forms of new media. The decreased investment of time and energy will continue to put us behind as a nation. This is something the people of our state can no longer afford. It is no longer an acceptable practice.
Education is increasingly becoming reliant on the internet. Tennessee schools need high speed internet and broadband access to be effective and compete with the major states. This will create a rigorous technology infused learning environment. Therefore the student will have need of affordable high speed internet and broadband access at home to extend and expedite their learning process. Teachers also need this guaranteed access to the high speed internet to better service their students. This will allow them to enrich their curriculum with technology such as video conferencing that allow them the ability to conduct distance learning and resolve any issues that a student may have.
The educators can also have and develop professional community conferences that are engaging other professional in order to promote higher learning initiatives. This will allow the development of new educational resources such as educational portals. Educators need high speed internet to conduct online assessments and data for the benefit of effective making of decisions. Their students need this also to overcome the divide of the digital world that hangs over our head in this state and country. The rural area students as well as adults are entitled to the wide range of new and rich educational applications that are out there. The resources that are available for anywhere leaning at any time.
Here in Tennessee, universities, colleges and community colleges also state governed schools are assured of adequate internet services. Libraries also fall into this filed of adequate services. The major need for the expanded services so that we can make forward movement in our educational goal is for rural area connection to be at the forefront of our state goals. Expanded broad band service would provide and exponential educational growth. Greater educational growth in the rural areas would give us a more educated work place with better paying jobs. This translates into less low income households.
They will also help the health of the rural areas by allowing them to access doctors and physicians. The people my ask questions pertaining to their illness or injury. Physician may be able to diagnose either of the two illnesses or injury and possibly save a life in the process. The internet and broadband connectivity in this breath can help provide and improve healthcare system. This can greatly impact our communities in this aspect. It brings improved care to the people who may need the advice or assistance of a medical professional.
The expansion of broadband and high speed internet into the rural areas can enable individuals living in the most remote areas of our state to have a much needed and depended upon technological service. The advantages of this will have a tremendous effect on the bridging of the technological gap. High speed internet is a critical part of the future of Tennessee in the job filed, in the educational field, and also in the health field.
It was once considered a luxury, something that was inaccessible to many. Now it is a public need. It is going to take everyone in our community to make a change. The government, public and private sectors must come together to dissolve the gap. They have to drive for the development of the adoption of internet access to all. The technology in pertinent to the development of our future, all aspects of our community and nation as a whole is relying on the development of the technology.
Tennessee must see the advantages of the internet service. Internet with high speed capability lets student go online for help with homework from educators. Many areas don’t have the proper education of adults leading to the need of this helpful asset. Many students are more technologically savvy than their parent. Therefor the need of available internet is a necessity. Companies throughout the world can connect with each other, why is it not possible to connect a state.
We need to use the latest technology to make internet with high speed technology available to every person in the state of Tennessee no matter where they are located. The accesses should be like turning the water on in your house. It should be a household thing as universal as the air we breathe. Tennessee should have broadband and internet access without a short fall to any areas in the state. The rural areas should not be shorted because of the lack of competence of high and mighty companies. They have the same right to have as equal a voice as any other citizens of the state.
This also incorporates affordable broadband and internet of the high speed capacity. Massive companies are controlling this by ruling the prices with an iron fist. In the affected areas if they want or need the access they must purchase very expensive equipment that is not up to standards. It also has a high cost, this does not fit into their budget. The affordable internet and broadband should not be out of the reach of our fellow statesmen. All should have access at an affordable and faster capacity.
Future internet will definitely require faster speeds due to the evolution of the application being invented daily. There will need to be higher standards when it comes to the education of our Tennesseans, to the health of our Tennesseans and the overall access of our Tennesseans to the interment. The only way we will get there is to follow in the footsteps our in state partner Chattanooga. Design of public and private partnership will definitely make that happen.
In conclusion, with the creation of so many types and forms of digital social media and the use of this media to educate, we here in Tennessee need to be connected more than ever. The use of these new media channels has become pertinent in the evolution of many people that live in the state. The emergence of social media platforms like Facebook, Skype YouTube, twitter, personal sights like blogs and many other media platforms we need to be connected. The need for high speed connection is becoming as much a part of the political process as signs on the street. New media is driving this force and our people need to be able to get the information they need and not be in the dark.
There must be a change, but it depends on whether we as whole make an effort to connect our state. Bridging the gap between urban areas and rural areas will take a massive movement or leaders who see the need. Point and case Chattanooga, who has jumped into the forefront and created a different culture with its internet standard. A new way of internet for the city which should be embraced by all into state so we move for in many ways. The future of education, the future of health care, the future of jobs all depend on the forward movement of our state. There should not be any of the areas left behind it should be a priority of the entire state to make high speed internet as common as taking a drink of water. The digital divide issue in the state has demonstrated that clearly our community leaders need to step up.