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In Rural Georgia, Don’t Bet on Fast Internet

Closing the rural connectivity gap has been a struggle nationwide, but leaders in Monroe County are doing what they can — even taking the issue to voters.

(TNS) — Finding a consistently fast internet service can be a tricky proposition for many residents living in rural Middle Georgia.

The quality of broadband internet remains a key issue not only in the midstate but across the nation as rural communities often don’t have the same type of infrastructure found within city limits.

Monroe County Commissioner George Emami understands the struggle. He went eight months without internet access while living in an unincorporated part of the county.

A proposed special purpose local option sales tax could help. If approved by Monroe County voters Nov. 6, it would provide $700,000 for rural broadband.

“We’re doing everything we can trying to expand it,” Emami said. “The first step in my mind was getting some money set aside to do something. We’re still looking for projects. We’re welcoming internet providers to bring a solution to the table that would make good economic use of the money.”

Emami said he’d prefer not having county government provide the service, but there may be some state or federal money down the line that could be used to build up the infrastructure. Maybe some of the SPLOST money could be used to provide service in some areas where a company doesn’t find it financially viable, he said.

“The world has shifted — people work around the clock these days,” Emami said. “One of the best things we can do economically in my opinion is to allow our students, to allow our constituents, to have the ability to connect to the world from their home and workplace.”

The Federal Communications Commission determines the baseline speed of broadband internet service. FCC reports from earlier this year showed that going into 2017 there were still 24 million people in the U.S. who did not have access to broadband, CNET.com reported.

A proposed U.S. farm bill would provide $600 million to improve telecommunications and rural broadband infrastructure. Since 2004, roughly $145 million in grants and $8.6 billion in loans have been provided through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Utilities Service fund.

“People don’t equate agriculture to high tech by any stretch, but when you get out there with some big boy farmers, they have some awesome equipment,” Monroe County Chairman Greg Tapley said. “When they can use the internet, if they have that available, they could probably do even better, be more efficient.”

One of the key questions about rural broadband is whether it eventually will be treated like a utility, which could lead to entities such as electric membership cooperatives becoming more involved, Tapley said.

In Monroe County, Central Georgia EMC continues to push for ways to “ensure high-speed internet is accessible to our membership,” the utility’s spokeswoman, Victoria Jolley, said in a statement.

Central Georgia EMC partners to bring internet to rural areas through a satellite provider, she said.

“A ‘one size fits all’ solution for delivering broadband does not exist,” Jolley said, before later adding, “We are also actively discussing other alternatives, such as broadband over powerline, small cell wireless, and other technologies with internet service providers in our region.”

In some rural communities, wireless satellite service, which can be impacted in bad weather, is the best option for residents to access the internet. But once 5G networks becomes the new wave in more densely populated areas, many rural residents may be left further behind in the ever-evolving space.

Other issues such as the data cap limits also restrict rural users access as well.

“For expanding broadband in our county, we’re still looking for solutions that are win-win for everyone: Profitable for corporations, not a money loser for not-for-profit, and, ultimately, for our residents, they can enjoy similar amenities to their friends and family that don’t live out in the rural areas,” Tapley said.

©2018 The Macon Telegraph (Macon, Ga.). Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.