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Comments on news posted 2008-02-07 06:08:26: [att=1272065,l]In a previous entries. ..
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 | | Not even techies think broadband is an issue The EETimes just ran a survey where readers prioritized election topics. Economy got 56% of the vote; broadband got 1%.
The survey sample was small and self-selected. I don't know much about the methodology but I have to assume that EETimes has a pretty techie readership and not even they seem concerned.
I wrote about it here: »blandinonbroadband.wordpress.com···-voters/
I'm afraid you might be right.
Ann | |
| | | Thank You For Your Attention As someone who lives in Rural USA, paying 4 times more for less than par satellite internet, I am frustrated with the lack of attention as well. Here in Kentucky, our ConnectKentucky alliance brags about 97% percent broadband coverage (it was supposed to be 100 by end of '07), yet I don't have it, my neighbors don't have it, heck my entire town doesn't have it. Right next to our phone exchange building is someone dependant on Wildblue for their internet. They make these false, or at least very broad assumptions that everyone has it, because those that fought for it, and now have it themselves, no longer speak for those that still need it.
The idea the people roll their eyes about farmers is so upsetting to me. We no longer farm, but those that do provide our cities with the ammenities needed to survive. Rural folks are just as tech savvie as the average joe living within city limits. They have to be to keep their business going. After all, farming is a business like any other. Farms need to stay modern to keep pace with the growing needs of the world population. Otherwise, they would still be laying down plots with a plow and mule.
I get my news about "Rural Broadband" via Google News Search and I get several emails related to it daily, but the articles derive primarily from the UK, Australia and India. U.S. articles are exceptions to the rule and usually come from this site or small local papers found in states like Vermont. Nothing really on a mainstream national level.
I appreciated your article here and I hope others making the search find it and give their feedback as well. | |
| | | Broadbanding Rural Britain - our lessons.... It’s interesting to see you quoting our effort to get broadband to rural communities here in the UK, and from what you say, there are a lot of similarities. If you can pick up a few pointers from our years of campaigning, that has to be a good thing all round.
We really had to put pressure on the ISPs and in our case BT, who basically have the monopoly on the telephone lines and the ADSL technology. To increase the pressure we also had to bring in the politicians, who could identify with issues like minority disadvantage, barriers to enterprise and disgruntled voters.
I can’t stress too much the importance of getting evidence of thi sminority disadvantage, some hard luck stories and stifling of enterprise then using that to lobby the politicians. What hits home with the media – who are an essential part of any campaign – is the problems caused to real people, in their circulation area.
If you can get a business orgainisation to represent all interested parties and co-ordinate the action so much the better. The CLA (Country Land and Business Association) got everyone round a table right from the start and basically coordinated the whole thing from an apolitical stance.
Our campaign was successful in that it increased rollout of broadband to rural areas, and probably made more difference than anything else, but as we’ve learned the hard way you MUST keep the pressure on and don't stop until you've hit home base. | |
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