7 minute read
BROADBAND ACCESS: UNITING IOWA’S URBAN AND RURAL COMMUNITIES
Examining the state’s actions toward strengthening access to the internet for all Iowans.
WORDS AND ART BY ETHAN WILLIAMS
Advertisement
When life became virtual for many during the COVID-19 pandemic, access to high speed internet became a necessity. Attending a doctor’s appointment, going to school, and transferring money into your bank account had little to nothing in common before 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic caused simple daily tasks to become completely virtual for Iowans across the state. This shift to a more virtual lifestyle emphasized the lack of quality broadband in the state and exposed Iowa’s inability to keep up in the digital age.
What is Broadband, Anyway?
Broadband is the transmission of bandwidth data over a high speed internet connection, while bandwidth is the amount of data that can be transmitted over the internet. The higher the bandwidth capability, the faster internet speeds are. Ensuring that both bandwidth and broadband stay up to date is crucial for Iowa’s economy to remain sustainable for the next generation. Currently, broadband access across the state of Iowa is primarily concentrated in developed, wealthy neighborhoods, while broadband deserts are common in both rural and low-income urban communities throughout the state.
In Iowa, about one-third of all 99 counties are considered broadband deserts, meaning they do not have high speed internet. Those most aff ected by the minimal investment in Iowa’s broadband are in low-income urban areas and rural areas across the state. This is a problem for farmers and small businesses owners trying to operate using the internet. Without strong broadband, Iowa farmers cannot use e-agriculture to innovate within the growing, harvesting, and distribution processes, a practice that saves time and money. Iowa’s small businesses have similar problems with ineffi cient connectivity to broadband. Access to quality broadband determines how local small businesses are able to communicate and sell domestically and internationally. These examples demonstrate that the issue of broadband access transcends politics. It benefi ts all Iowans, not just a select few.
Iowa is not the only state in the U.S. to make broadband access a pressing issue. In 2021, 35 states passed broadband legislation during their legislative sessions. This
solidifi es the importance of broadband access while revealing America’s general failure to provide high speed internet nationwide. The anticipated investment in broadband will determine if parts of the country are able to be a part of the digital information economy during the next decade.
Iowa’s lack of quality broadband especially aff ects the poor and rural communities across Iowa who were most economically impacted by the pandemic. Aligning with national trends, elected offi cials in Iowa have recently addressed these issues and brought forward a comprehensive, revolutionary initiative to bring high-speed, aff ordable broadband to every Iowan.
Iowa’s Rural Focus in Broadband Legislation
In the 2021 legislative session, Iowa’s Gov. Kim Reynolds, garnered bipartisan support from state legislators to address the issue of broadband access across the state by passing the largest investment in broadband in Iowa’s history. The passage of HR 848, The Empower Rural Iowa Broadband Grant Program, is the fi rst step to ensuring every Iowan has equal access to online health, education, and information services.
Reynolds proposed a $450 million dollar investment in broadband for the state that was ultimately negotiated by legislators to a $100 million dollar investment fund intended to tackle the state’s broadband problem.
“With my signature today, the state of Iowa’s broadband infrastructure is about to reverse quickly and dramatically. Better health care, better public services, and better jobs are on their way to every corner of Iowa,” Reynolds said during the bill-signing ceremony in April of 2021.
The Empower Rural Iowa Broadband Grant Program was established to help subsidize the cost for companies to provide broadband access across the state. The governor’s goal for the fi rst year was to provide the minimum internet speed (100 megabits per second (Mbps) download speed and 20 megabits per second upload speed) to the entire state. Megabits are how fast data can be transferred through the internet. Establishing high megabits directly increases the ability to share and receive services for anyone using broadband.
Within the next four years, the state’s objective is to provide internet speeds of 100 megabits per second download speed and private companies.
Iowa’s capital city, Des Moines, has addressed broadband aff ordability in their communities by setting up a website where residents can apply for the Federal Communications Commission’s Emergency Broadband Benefi t program. This program helps those who struggle to pay for broadband attain the funds necessary to pay for internet services. The grant program brings equity into the ongoing discussion surrounding broadband by working to supply low-income families with aff ordable, high speed internet.
Providing quality broadband ensures everyone can video chat with family members without interruption or access online resources to do well in online schooling, regardless of where they live or their socioeconomic status. Broadband may be based in the virtual world of the internet, but it aff ects the real-world emotional and mental health of anyone who has access to it.
100 megabits per second upload speed to all of Iowa. This investment of 100/100 Mbps is considered “future proofed,” meaning Iowa’s broadband would be able to keep up with future innovations in broadband technology. In an interview with Iowa Press, Brian Walker, the President of the Technology Association of Iowa, discussed the importance of the broadband investment bill.
“We’re leveling the playing fi eld. Again, we’re trying to revitalize rural Iowa. So if you are born and raised in rural Iowa, you don’t have to leave to go to a metro to work in a technology job. You can do that there. We are giving Iowans an opportunity to be a part of the future economy where so many are left out because of their lack of connectivity,” Walker said.
Walker further detailed the impact the expansion of broadband will have on the economic opportunities in rural Iowa. The investment being made in rural Iowa will help Iowa become competitive for the “remote workers” workforce market that has become relevant in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“If the state of Iowa has broadband connectivity across the whole state, that means that rural Iowa has an opportunity to participate in the future economy and in the information economy which will spur private investment,“ Walker told Iowa Press.
BRIAN WALKER, PRESIDENT OF THE TECHNOLOGY ASSOCIATION OF IOWA
Urban Broadband Access in Iowa
Although most of the attention is focused on rural communities in Iowa, urban communities, primarily those consisting of low-income populations, also face barriers to broadband access. Increasing access in urban communities opens possibilities of employment and education to hundreds of households. This investment can positively aff ect a family’s fi nancial and educational success. For these neighborhoods, the problem is not only the lack of broadband fi ber in the ground, but the lack of aff ordability that is provided from
Utilizing Broadband Moving Forward
This recently heightened responsibility to provide quality, aff ordable broadband needs to be a partnership between every level of government as well as every community struggling with the issue. One of the safest and most promising ways to ensure broadband is accessible for all Iowans is to make it a utility, similar to other public services like water, electricity, and gas. This way, the service can be regulated properly and remain accessible and aff ordable.
Broadband access is not just about rural or urban communities, it’s about making Iowa’s economy sustainable for the next generation. Broadband goes beyond the virtual world and makes it possible for the next generation to stay invested in the communities they grew up in. The ability to connect virtually with one’s community impacts the educational and fi nancial success of that community.
In November, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure package, which includes $65 billion allocated to helping states cover the cost of building a network of quality broadband, aiming to improve internet services for rural areas and low-income families throughout the country. While there’s still a long road ahead to ensure broadband access for all Iowans, this increase in federal funding is a strong stepping stone to achieving a fully-connected Iowa.
