IP: Overcoming Barriers to Rural Access: Policy Recommendations

[Dave Farber <farber () cis upenn edu>]

Overcoming Barriers to Rural Access: Some Preliminary Policy Recommendations


  The role of this policy study, which has support from NSF's Networking
Infrastructure for Education (NIE) program, is to identify barriers that
rural schools and communities face as they try to connect to the National
Information Infrastructure. The process of identifying these barriers
included talking to policy experts in Washington, but -- more importantly
-- meeting with "real" people in rural communities.  We held focus groups
in Vermont, Pennsylvania, and New Mexico. Reflecting on those meetings,
here (below) are some preliminary recommendations.


  We hope that you can look at our suggestions, as well as the specific
programs and models in several states (at our web site,
http://www.itc.org/aaron/), and help us identify policies and significant
models that we are leaving out.


  Many rural Americans have to pay toll calls (in addition to the same
monthly fees their urban counterparts pay) to get to online information
services and Internet Service Providers (ISPs).  In many states, dial-up
access is not the problem that it once was.  Creative policies, such as
expanding dialing areas and aggregating demand -- as well as the increase
in the number of ISPs -- mean that fewer people in rural areas have to
make toll calls.  But access to advanced telecommunications, if available
at all, can be extremely costly in rural America.  For example, the monthly
costs of having a T-1 leased line to a rural school can be much higher than
costs for the same service in urban areas.


  But the cost of access is not the only barrier to the NII in rural
America. Affordable connectivity -- without support for training and
professional development -- is useless. Policymakers must come up with
solutions to both problems in schools and communities or people in rural
America will continue to be the "have nots" of the information age.


  The following are preliminary suggestions that will help schools and
communities in rural America have access to the National Information
Infrastructure.  Our web site presents creative solutions in several
states.  We urge concerned educators, parents, school board members -- as
well as state technology directors, legislators, and other policymakers --
to look at the resources on the web site (http//www.itc.org/aaron/) and
tell us where the gaps are.  If we left out a policy or significant model
from your state, please send e-mail to comments () itc org.  Or please join our
rural listserv (which is archived on the web site) and share ideas with
others who are interested in rural access.  To subscribe, send e-mail to
listproc () itc org with no subject and subscribe rural YourRealName in the
body of the e-mail.  For example, subscribe rural Jay Rockefeller.
After you subscribe, you can post (send your ideas) to rural () itc org.


  Our preliminary policy recommendations:


1. Encourage community networks.


Community networks are one of the most constructive ways to bring access to
rural areas.  In addition to bringing the power of advanced
telecommunications to underserved areas, community networks bind the people
of a rural area together and allow them to communicate easily with one
another.  When a community network is based at a school or includes a
school, it encourages the community to become more involved (the community,
after all, supports the school).  Policies should encourage the efficiencies
and collaboration that rural community networks provide; policies should not
discourage collaboration between the public and private sectors -- or
schools and local businesses in rural communities. We are pleased to see
that the Joint Federal-State Board on Universal Service recommended
implementation of discounts for schools and libraries in such a way that the
discounts allow for, even encourage, community networks.  We're also pleased
to see that the growth of community networks is being encouraged at the
state level.  The Missouri Express project sets aside $6 million to help get
80 community networks up and running throughout the state, bringing local,
community Internet access to a number of rural communities.


2. Establish a policy that expands dialing areas.


By expanding the "local" dialing area for rural communities, state public
utility commissions dramatically increase the likelihood that an Internet
service provider will be available to a rural resident.  In addition,
expanded dialing areas raise the likelihood of competition between ISPs in
rural communities.  This has already been done in a number of states,
including Washington and Vermont.


3.  Policymakers should provide for technical support, training, and
professional development.


Access to the NII in rural areas means nothing if training is not available.
One superintendent, whose school runs a rural community network, said that
the key to success is technical support, ongoing and onsite.  In schools,
members of boards and other policymakers should provide for ongoing training
and professional development for all teachers.  In rural communities,
policymakers should implement training programs -- such as Nebraska's Global
Community Initiative, which exposes rural communities to some of the
benefits of the information superhighway.  Training is also a key component
of the Mountain Area Information Network (MAIN), which serves 14 counties
in rural western North Carolina; MAIN trains rural citizens how to use the
Internet and several specialized databases available through the MAIN
network.  MAIN also trains volunteers to provide technical support on the
network and serve as local community experts on the Internet and computers.
State programs should look at training their own employees, as well as
teachers, librarians, and others who will serve as leaders on the information
superhighway.


4.  Encourage aggregation.


By allowing rural entities to aggregate their demand, and order services
jointly, policymakers can increase the likelihood of a service provider's
willingness to provide them with advanced telecom services.  One good
example of this taking place is the Stanly County Network (a.k.a. StanNet) in
rural North Carolina, where the local schools, library, hospital, and
community college have banded together to bring high speed access to their
rural community.


5.  Provide access through public institutions.


Public institutions can serve as the service provider of last resort for
communities which otherwise would not be able to have access to advanced
telecommunications services.  For instance, in Alaska, the State Library
Electronic Doorway (SLED) program provides Internet access to communities
which otherwise would go unserved.


6.  Set policies that encourage the anchor tenant model.


State and local government institutions can serve as a kind of "anchor
tenant" (the main customer) on a network, encouraging a service provider to
at least make services available.  In an expansion of this idea, one county
government in North Carolina actually subsidized an ISP for one year in
order to
provide local access in the county seat.  As a result, not only did the
county government save money, but the entire county gained local Internet
access, providing a foundation for new economic development. The Vermont
Business Roundtable also endorses the anchor tenant concept.


7.  Set policies that stimulate demand for services.


State agencies can play an important role in educating rural communities
about the benefits of advanced telecommunications applications.  For
example, the Global Community Initiative in Nebraska provides education,
outreach, and planning support to local communities.  This, in turn,
stimulates demand for services in the local community, making it more
attractive for commercial telecommunications providers.


8.  Establish policies that encourage the development of meaningful content.


Meaningful content -- including the nurturing of interactive discussions
and online communities -- is important to rural America.  State government,
local government, local schools, libraries, and all other institutions
should make efforts to put their resources online, so as to better serve
their constituencies and to save their own scarce resources.


   Finally, you can't talk about policy changes that give rural Americans
access to the NII without mentioning the universal service changes in the
Telecommunications Act of 1996.  This major policy shift -- that will give
discounts to schools and libraries, and have a huge impact in rural America
-- will be implemented by the FCC in May 1997.  We urge concerned
educators and policymakers to see the web site at
http://www.itc.org/edlinc/ and http://www.fcc.gov/ for an overview of
this important public policy. States must prepare for implementation in
the 1997-98 school year.


Bill Wright, PI and Executive Director
Aleck Johnson, Research Associate


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Bill Wright                                     Tel. (202) 466-0533
Executive Director                              Fax. (202) 466-0523
International Telecomputing Consortium (ITC)    e-mail: wright () itc org
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