Reverend_Hellh0und

In obama's "rural" issues section he talks of a plan for broadband access to rural America:


Connect Rural America: Barack Obama will ensure that rural Americans have access to a modern communications infrastructure. He will modernize an FCC program that supports rural phone service so that it promotes affordable broadband coverage across rural America as well.




Now the question is, is it the governments job to supply internet acces to people or is it the markets?

Who will pay for this? Will they get it for free? How will this work?

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winston53660

The Tennessee Valley Authority did a good job of bringing electricity to rural residents that needed it and I see no harm done by that on a grand scale.

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shuamort

Broadband is a luxury since dial-up is available, as well as satellite broadband. I don't see this as a necessity and think this should be operated at a market level and not a government one.

They can slowly download their porn until they can afford the broadband.

winston53660

With that attitude they would still have a water pump (if that) in their kitchen.

shuamort

Water=needed for survival
Broadband internet=not needed for survival*


*Unless we need eHarmony to repopulate the rural areas immediately.

jallman

Unless they pay for the well and septic system for themselves. Oh wait...they already do.

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rivrrat

My guess would be that the taxpayers will foot the bill for the actual cable being laid. The users will have to pay a monthly fee to the providers just like everyone else.

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Reverend_Hellh0und

Is this the domain of government? I mean a laundry machine is more efficient and convienent than going to the laundrymay, should they provide maytags as well?

Kernel Sanders

Nowhere does Obama imply that the government will be supplying anything whatsoever. If you're worried about the cost of supporting those actually supplying the access then you should have a huge bone to pick with the gov under both the Bush and Clinton administrations. Since the early nineties the gov has been pouring huge amounts of money into a push for last mile fiber access, which has only barely come into fruition in the past year or so.

TOJ

By the time they get it in place it will be obsolete. We switched to AirCards some time ago and that technology is only going to get better.

Believe it or not, farmers do have cell phone access so they already have that infractructure in place.

Tractors and combines have had built-in GPS technology for several years and will have features that require mobile Internet access soon if they don't already.

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