Like that 1935 act Biden's Infrastructure Act brings rural communities the needed resources to allow them to attract people who would otherwise move to more populated areas. Having high speed internet is necessary for many jobs and for students. Our commissioners opted to use the money finally but for providers to bring the lines part way to homes and left the residents to pay for hookup.
I was in Ireland in the mid 1960s when electricity came to rural farms and made all the difference to families. Many US relatives sent money to buy their parents a refrigerator!! It's all about quality of life!
“something that should be accessible to all as a hallmark of a civilized society.”
While I'm not sure that we are actually living in a "civilized society," I would hope that most of us would still recognize a public good--as well as its opposite--when we see it. The digital divide is a clear public evil that creates an unfair and insurmountable barrier between critical information/services and the poor and marginalized.
Like that 1935 act Biden's Infrastructure Act brings rural communities the needed resources to allow them to attract people who would otherwise move to more populated areas. Having high speed internet is necessary for many jobs and for students. Our commissioners opted to use the money finally but for providers to bring the lines part way to homes and left the residents to pay for hookup.
I was in Ireland in the mid 1960s when electricity came to rural farms and made all the difference to families. Many US relatives sent money to buy their parents a refrigerator!! It's all about quality of life!
“something that should be accessible to all as a hallmark of a civilized society.”
While I'm not sure that we are actually living in a "civilized society," I would hope that most of us would still recognize a public good--as well as its opposite--when we see it. The digital divide is a clear public evil that creates an unfair and insurmountable barrier between critical information/services and the poor and marginalized.