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Guest Column: Leslie Danks Burke

“Bandwidth Deserts”

Leslie Danks Burke is running for New York State Senate in the 58th district, which includes Schuyler, Chemung, Steuben and Yates counties, and part of Tompkins. Her office is at 700 N. Franklin St., Watkins Glen.

WATKINS GLEN, March 31, 2020 -- In the title, that’s “deserts” with one “s” -- places where rain doesn’t fall, things don’t grow and it’s a struggle to get by. Not desserts with two “s’s,” like the rhubarb pies we can usually buy from our local farm stands, but which they may not get to sell this year.

If you’re reading this, it’s because you have internet access.

Like most families, my family’s screen time has exploded over the past month. My husband and I are now working from home, constantly videoconferencing and emailing. Our daughters keep up on online school assignments from home, videochat with friends, and visit with their grandparents remotely. In the evenings, we have a friendly argument over what movie we will stream. On the internet, we stay up to date on the crisis and learn public health recommendations, find local testing centers, see which services and businesses are still running, learn how to shop for groceries safely, and, equally important, find out how we can help our neighbors.

But shockingly, thousands of our neighbors and friends in the Southern Tier and Finger Lakes are closeted at home without any of this.

Despite Governor Cuomo’s 2015 Broadband for All initiative, at least one-tenth of our rural areas still don’t have reliable internet access. Companies say it is just too expensive to hook up rural areas. Meanwhile, our farmers and dairy producers, students in rural schools, our wineries and folks who live on hilltops or in valleys have no broadband and can’t afford expensive satellite or cell data services. Parents drive long distances to library parking lots to get Wi-Fi so their children can complete homework. Teachers are now teaching groups where some children have no access except cell phones with very limited data plans, and are falling behind children with Wi-Fi. Several pastors in our area have let me know that one of their greatest concerns right now is for shut-in seniors who can’t get online, and are suffering in terror alone at home, unable to learn which days food pantries are available or how to protect against the virus.

My 10-year-old daughter has been in a boot for an injured ankle for a few weeks. This morning, we went online at the time of her telemedicine appointment, had a video talk with the doctor in the room we would have been in if we were there in person, and followed his directions, speaking to him from our computer propped at our kitchen table, as we moved her foot and tested flexibility before he cleared her to get out of the boot. Our internet access meant that we could avoid sitting in a waiting room with sick or injured patients, and leave hospital space available for those who truly need it. But at-risk seniors or rural families without internet can’t do a video appointment with their doctor, and will put themselves into harm’s way by going into hospitals in person. The most vulnerable among us are the ones who have most suffered from lack of internet access over recent years, and now, with the pandemic, that suffering is in stark relief.

Another bandwidth challenge affects urban and rural neighbors alike: Even if it’s available, they simply can’t afford internet access. Nearly one in three Americans making under $30,000 a year don’t own a smartphone. A total of 44% don’t have internet connections at home or own a computer. Until the coronavirus shut down cafes and restaurants, places like coffee shops provided Wi-Fi to customers. Public libraries also give Wi-Fi for free, with hundreds of patrons each day flocking to dozens of libraries throughout our region to use the free computers for everything from paying their taxes, to applying for jobs and social services, to accessing social media. Libraries now are shuttered for the foreseeable future.

It’s unconscionable that we let this disparity develop. With the COVID-19 crisis, the problem has exploded, but it will still be there after the pandemic passes if we don’t force a change.

Let’s make internet a public utility -- like water, sewer, and energy -- so that companies providing the service are accountable for the benefits they receive from taxpayers.

Let’s strip out government rules and regulations against local internet networks, which hinder competition by propping up the big telecom companies and internet service providers that dominate the market.

Let’s set up Rural Broadband Cooperatives using the model that worked nearly 100 years ago, when rural communities lacked electricity and the federal government intervened to set up Rural Electric Cooperatives, which paid for themselves while providing critical infrastructure.
Let’s help municipalities band together by reducing red tape and streamlining the franchise agreement process, and create incentives and technical assistance for small municipalities to work together.

Let’s build an affordable internet option into all municipal broadband and franchise agreements, so that even low-income residents of any community have an option.

Internet access is no longer optional; even before this crisis it was an essential service that every household needs for communications, health care and education. As this crisis puts it into a stark focus, let’s take steps now to correct this and bring all of our communities fully into the 21st century.

Photo: Leslie Danks Burke


Schuyler County Officials

Legislature Members:

Top row (from left): Carl Blowers, Jim Howell, Michael Lausell, Van Harp

Bottom row: Gary Gray, David Reed, Phil Barnes, Mark Rondinaro

   
   

Legislature Chairman

Carl Blowers, 535-6174 or 237-5469

Legislature Members:

Gary Gray, 292-9922

Van Harp, 329-2160

Jim Howell, 535-7266 or 227-1141

David M. Reed, 796-9558

Michael Lausell, 227- 9226

Phil Barnes, Watkins Glen, 481-0482

Mark Rondinaro, 398-0648

County Clerk: Theresa Philbin, 535-8133

Sheriff: William Yessman, 535-8222

Undersheriff: Breck Spaulding, 535-8222

County Treasurer: Holley Sokolowski, 535-8181

District Attorney: Joseph Fazzary, 535-8383

 

State, Federal Officials for Schuyler County

Sen. Charles E. Schumer

United States Senate
313 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510-3201
DC Phone: 202-224-6542
DC Fax: 202-228-3027
Email Address: http://schumer.senate.gov/webform.html

Sen. Kirsten E. Gillibrand

United States Senate
478 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
DC Phone: 202-224-4451
Website: http://gillibrand.senate.gov/

State Senator Tom O'Mara -- Chemung, Schuyler, Steuben, Yates, western Tompkins, Enfield, Ithaca (Town and City), Newfield, Ulysses(Trumansburg)

Room 812, Legislative Office Building
Albany, NY 12247
Phone: (518) 455-2091
Fax: (518) 426-6976
www.omara.nysenate.gov

Assemblyman Phil Palmesano-- Steuben, Schuyler, Yates
Room 723, Legislative Office Building
Albany, NY 12248
Phone: (518) 455-5791
Website: http://assembly.state.ny.us/mem/Phillip-A-Palmesano

 

© The Odessa File 2017
Charles Haeffner
P.O. Box 365
Odessa, New York 14869

E-mail publisher@odessafile.com
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