The Air You Breathe

A good friend of mine once said “Bandwidth - it’s like the oxygen in air we need to survive”.  Living in Vermont, we are used to good air….but many of our children aren’t getting enough.

Schools are an exception, for the most part.  The Federal e-rate program has done a great job providing funding for internet access, and e-rate category 2 funding has allowed schools to upgrade their internal networks, so the good bandwidth is available to students in almost every classroom.  

But at home it’s a different story.  When I ask tech directors and educators how many of their students have access outside of school, the reply is “a lot don’t.”  One student said he had to do his homework in the town square, to get enough access. Cellular service is spotty, and with Vermont’s hills and valleys getting a good signal is almost as rare as a polka-dot maple.  Even mobile wireless systems on school buses would be a challenge in these locations.

In the prospering regions of the state, schools, families, and locations with quality high-speed access are abundant.  Real estate prices and traffic keep pace with economic options. But in too much of the state’s land area, there aren’t broadband options*.  In addition to the educational challenges (read about The Homework Gap) this results in lack of economic opportunity for these regions.  Vermont’s governor regularly decries the problem of our students moving out of state after they go to college…with the result of an aging population and closing of family farms, and he is working hard to promote economic opportunities.

To be clear, this is not only a problem in Vermont.  There are areas in upstate New York and the rest of New England that are not able to get any high-speed internet, while there are multiple providers for urban areas.  In high density areas, private companies compete for customers. In medium density areas, single source vendors may provide high speed access at high prices. In low density areas, if copper is available, don’t plan on watching Mrs. Maisel on Friday evening.

A recent candidate for Governor proposed having the electrical utilities provide fiber to all locations in Vermont, a latter-day rural electrification administration.  It is worth noting, that although the REA started in 1936, it wasn’t until 1950 that my house joined the electrical age. Having a national program and utility to finance and construct the infrastructure for the benefit of the community was a critical ingredient.  It’s time we do this again so our students can enjoy the air they need to survive.

*Although 73% of Vermont addresses meet the current FCC definition of broadband, 25mbps is not adequate.