I've been reading about the New Deal recently, and it's perhaps interesting to draw parallels between the electrification of America and the current limits on broadband expansion. In both cases it is/was basically rural folks and small towns that are/were doing without. In the 1930s, the electric companies didn't see any reason to build miles and miles of wires for just a few farmers, even though they would be grateful and profitable customers -- they were making great money milking the urban areas. We've got a very similar situation now where our very few broadband providers (what happened to competition... oh well) can just ignore an area, and when a town decides to step up and provide broadband as a municipal utility, they go to the state government to get them to ban towns from doing it!
There's a role for government here, as there was in the '30s -- those farmers deserved to have electricity for their farm machinery, lights, washing machines, etc, and small town and rural folks today deserve the chance to not be left behind as we race into the 21st century.
"Justice Department Decides.."?? The DOJ decided weeks ago -- the US Court decided today. The court system is part of the judicial branch, the Justice Department is part of the executive branch.
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I've been reading about the New Deal recently, and it's perhaps interesting to draw parallels between the electrification of America and the current limits on broadband expansion. In both cases it is/was basically rural folks and small towns that are/were doing without. In the 1930s, the electric companies didn't see any reason to build miles and miles of wires for just a few farmers, even though they would be grateful and profitable customers -- they were making great money milking the urban areas. We've got a very similar situation now where our very few broadband providers (what happened to competition... oh well) can just ignore an area, and when a town decides to step up and provide broadband as a municipal utility, they go to the state government to get them to ban towns from doing it!
There's a role for government here, as there was in the '30s -- those farmers deserved to have electricity for their farm machinery, lights, washing machines, etc, and small town and rural folks today deserve the chance to not be left behind as we race into the 21st century.
"Justice Department Decides.."?? The DOJ decided weeks ago -- the US Court decided today. The court system is part of the judicial branch, the Justice Department is part of the executive branch.