Lack of access to broadband impacts economic growth, educational opportunities, healthcare access, and people’s ability to connect with one another and to information. Oregon’s larger cities and their surrounding metro areas offer vastly better Internet access and speeds than much of rural Oregon. Throughout the Regional Dialogues, Participants shared how communities and individuals struggle because of lacking services and opportunities, directly and indirectly impacted by lack of fast, reliable Internet speeds.
Some use this difference in access to secure, reliable Internet to describe the urban rural divide, calling it the “digital divide.” The digital divide parallels the urban rural divide, with urban areas having reliable Internet access – in addition to access, at least geographically, to health care, housing, transportation, and jobs – while rural Internet access is tenuous.
There's no broadband in rural areas. People aren't living or starting businesses in rural places. The relevancy of rural places changes dramatically. (Portland Dialogues, rural resident)
Technology drives so much economic development now. Rural and small cities for the most part want this 21st century technology. For rural communities looking to expand beyond resourced-based industries, new technology comes up as an option, but without reliable Internet, it’s not yet a viable path forward. Poor or no Internet connection not only prevents new businesses from coming to the community but limits and confounds existing businesses.
Metro solutions do not translate into rural solutions. (Salem Dialogues)
A Lincoln City Participant and coastal resident provided the perspective, “People move to the coast for quality of life and hoping to bring their business. But we struggle with limited power and dirty power, which means that our power doesn’t come through on a constant basis. And our Broadband isn’t fast.” In other words, their power dies or surges frequently enough to be a regular issue.
A Medford Participant called broadband connection more of a luxury item in rural areas. She cannot get reliable Internet in her Ashland home for many months out of the year even though her household wants it and is willing to pay for it. Even when there is access, the connection may not be reliable or adequate to suit a person’s or business’ needs.
People rely on their smart phone access and others still use dial up. Another Participant lamented that some have the stance that broadband is too much a part of the urban establishment and take pride in being off the grid. They regard too well their personal relationships and other kinds of know-how to need “that pesky Internet stuff.” However, this Participant countered that the Internet is a source that can help people take care of themselves, “ When you think about education, mental health, physical and dental health…anything. When you have access to technology, you can do some of your own problem solving.” It’s an amenity that is taken for granted in the urban environment and contributed to the urban rural divide.
When you use dial up in a sentence still. That tells you something. (Medford Dialogues)
One of the biggest problems is the lack of access to broadband technology in rural Oregon. It could help level the economic playing field. (Lincoln City)
I have Internet. When I come home, sometimes even at 10 o’clock at night, I have my cousin or somebody else out in my driveway in their car using my Internet (Warm Springs Dialogues)
A Medford group zeroed in on this sharing the success story of the Josephine Library. In 2007, per one Participant, the library closed because the County Commissioners defunded it. Citizen outrage led to the formation of a nonprofit, raising $300,000 through a mailer to every residence and the library reopened. Community support kept the library going until the district funded the library again. The library provides access to the Internet for the nearby communities.
Medford and Baker City Participants shared examples where employers had tech jobs to offer in rural areas, but could not find the experienced workers. “I know one individual that he tried to hire technical people and we don't have enough,” the Medford Participant said. The Baker City Participant named CAD [computer aided design] designers as an area of work that is needed but the talent pool is shallow in her region. A Salem Participant made a point that the people with technical skills are leaving rural areas for the urbanized areas for more opportunities. A Portland Participant reflected on the challenge in rural areas in that automated economies are slowing in general and entrepreneurs don’t look to start new businesses in places with limited Internet connectivity, curbing the capacity to plan ahead and stay current.
I can literally see the tower that provides my Internet service from my desk. I’m having to reconnect, reconnect, reconnect. And we have a wonderful university in La Grand that does a fantastic job of educating students and then we have to say goodbye because they have to have a good connection. We're exporting our most valuable commodities because we can't serve them. (Baker City Dialogues)
What is further confounding is that people could build their skill set through online courses but that of course requires solid connection to the Internet. Participants in many Dialogues reflected on library closures, ceasing the opportunity for many to access the Internet for free. Per a Baker City Participant, one-third of the Umatilla Reservation lacks broadband. Salem and Baker City Participants in particular brought up that rural children are drawn to the connectivity of the Internet and that young adults don’t want to live in a place not connected to the rest of the world. Regarding younger generations, a Medford Participant felt like their community had failed their children, giving the example of a North Carolina program where every school age child has a computer enabling the child to complete homework assignments and learn computer skills on their own time. The Participant elaborated, “Without technical computer skills, the school system should at least focus on agriculture, welding, or automotive to prepare the young students.”
One-third of our reservation (Umatilla) doesn't have service. Rural Oregon does not have service. So how do you get service in rural areas and make education accessible to everyone?
I look at the Internet as the equalizer. If you want more education, you can go online and learn so many things. If you can't get online, you can't connect to the Internet and the world. (Warm Springs Dialogues)
Participants recognized the role that the Internet plays in our lives today and how the lack of connection in parts of Oregon is not equitable. One Participant believed that urban and rural communities have more in common but we tend to focus on the political divide. “We constantly put ourselves in different buckets. Quality of broadband is important everywhere, but challenges are greater in rural areas.” Internet connectivity for all of Oregon as a priority and would be an equalizer.
Whether Participants specifically mentioned secure Internet in their conversations, Participants listed challenges impacted by the lack of a reliable broadband connection. For example, one Medford group named the following as priorities they see as important in their communities: 1) Seek rural input 2) Develop shared understanding of resource flows 3) Develop shared understanding of needs and strengths 4) Develop shared vision within urban and rural; have a process for doing so. One can hardly imagine accomplishing these goals without sharing information over email, using the Internet as a reference for information, or having a video conference call. Likewise, some Lincoln City Participants aspire for more cooperation and connection between regions and communities, another goal where reliable Internet connections are likely integral to communicating and collecting information.
There is meaningful political and financial support behind broadband infrastructure expansion at the local, state and federal level. Still, the expense of bringing broadband to communities can be in the tens of thousands of dollars for one mile. “It’s not a one-size fits all,” per one Participant. “Laying a line in crazy terrain is very costly and difficult to even pencil out… You need all the tools and resources and flexibility you can get.”