Anyone who has rented a home or apartment in the last decade knows the struggle of finding an internet provider. Whether it’s a matter of finding something within their budget, getting a technician to come to the house or just talking to a real, live person on the phone, starting an internet service can be a major pain. That is, if internet is even offered in the area.
When I first moved here, finding an internet provider was a struggle. See, when I toured the home I ended up renting, internet service was up and running through AT&T. Less than a week later, when I called AT&T, I was told I had to sign up for DirectTV, a 2-year contract, to be eligible for internet. Not ideal, but OK.
Of course, after the paperwork had been signed and the DirectTV installed, I was informed internet was not available, but I would be put on a waitlist in case the company decided to expand to my area.
My struggle, while aggravating, isn’t unique. Just last week, I came across a Vice news article saying more than 40 million Americans don’t have access to Broadband internet. The Federal Communications Commission claims a much smaller number than that, about 24 million, but that’s based on unverified, self-reported statistics from the broadband providers.
Politicians on both side of the isle, House and Senate, State and Federal, have expounded on the necessity of reliable, high-speed internet. Last year, the Mississippi Legislature opened the door for electric co-ops to provide internet service, introducing competition and helping close the rural digital divide.
All of that is good, and our elected officials are right to be concerned about the lack of high-speed internet access in rural areas, especially as schools integrate online components to coursework starting as early as kindergarten.
But to truly close the digital divide, we need to be able to see where broadband access is lacking. According the Vice article, our current broadband maps are misrepresenting homes of more than 20 million people, and even areas with coverage are often serviced by just one company.
Eighteen months later, AT&T has not yet deigned to grace my neighborhood with internet service, though their service maps tell a different story. And, I’m still paying the bill.
Look, regulating these huge companies, forcing them to tell the truth about what areas they do and do not cover, that’s going to be tough. It’s going to be an uphill fight, with every step barred by an army of lawyers, lobbyists and legislators. But, it needs to be done.
I can get by without reliable internet, and I can drive to wi-fi spots if need be. But that kindergartener trying to practice typing to prepare for the state test, that high school senior trying to do his math homework to earn a scholarship, that single mom trying to find a job, they don’t have that luxury.
Americans need reliable internet, but until that comes, we should demand broadband providers at least have the decency to tell us the truth.
Thomas Howard is the managing editor of The Newton County Appeal. He can be reached at thoward@newtoncountyappeal.com
