Issue Position: Technology/Telecommunications - Broadband Internet Access

Issue Position

We have all been witness to the unforeseen rate of growth characterizing the explosion of the Internet. Currently, many rural areas do not have access to broadband Internet service, creating a "digital divide" between areas with access and those without. Such division effects many aspects of community health, including economic growth, access to health and education information, and sustained viability in the marketplace. At present, only 2 percent of American households have access to high-speed Internet services due to Depression-era telecommunications regulations that preclude the deployment of high-speed Internet backbone facilities and many companies best suited to remedy this problem are prohibited from doing so.

I was a co-sponsor of H.R. 1542--the Internet Freedom and Broadband Deployment Act--which passed the House of Representatives on February 27, 2002. The measure seeks to repeal outdated telecommunications regulations that apply to high-speed data delivery services. Enactment of this bill will remove disincentives for local telephone companies to invest in needed network upgrades and allow for advanced data services in the most rural regions of the country. It is only through the construction of Internet backbone facilities and other technical infrastructure that Idahoans will remain competitive in the future. Businesses must be freed to locate in rural or under-served areas without concern for lost revenue incurred by residing in an area without high-speed service. Rural schools and libraries must be able to participate in distance learning programs in order to continue providing our children with every available resource for a functional education.

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