Yesterday, I was reminded of the differences between rural and city life. One example of that would be cell phone service. We have none. We have offered every cell phone company free land to put up a cell tower and all have turned us down because there are not enough people to make it profitable for them to do it. Think of what you use your cell phone for these days. It’s the device that lets you communicate with the digital world. It’s no longer just a phone. It’s actually a handheld computer. I keep reading articles about bringing high-speed Internet to rural areas that don’t have it, but the upcoming technology of 5G will bring high-speed Internet to every cell phone…… except where there is currently no cell phone service. Even worse for technical reasons, there will have to be more 5G cell towers, but they won’t be towers. They can be easily stuck on the top of a building and there are plenty of buildings in cities. Not here, the closest thing to a building I can see is a deer stand in a pasture to the southeast of me about three-quarters of a mile. I don’t think you could stick a 5G hotspot on it because it’s probably at least three-quarters of a mile from the nearest electric line, but it’s also not tall enough. There is a growing divide between rural folk and city folk that has been created by technology. We faced the same problem in getting electricity to the rural population. Before most of us were born, the federal government created the Rural Electrification Act, REA, in 1936 to bring electricity to the rural population. We need the same sort of action to narrow the growing digital divide between our rural and city populations. It must start with the realization of people who live in city areas of this growing problem. When I’m asked for my cell number and I say, “I don’t have one because we don’t have any cell phone service.” I can see the shock on their faces and they how often ask, “Really? Where do you live?” Just this morning I made a call on our landline and the service representative asked me for my cell number and of course, I told her I didn’t have one. Her reply was, “That’s terrible. I didn’t think there were any places like that anymore.” Sometimes people will say that they have seen the coverage maps provided by the cell phone companies, and there doesn’t seem to be any place not covered by cell phone service. Don’t believe those coverage maps!
The only thing I would like you to take away from this blog is the fact of this growing digital divide. Like the REA, it will take money provided by the government – politicians – to correct it. Since the majority of people live in cities, there is little incentive for politicians to provide the necessary funds. You can help by pushing them in the direction of narrowing this digital divide. Thanks!
