Arkansas' governor seems to understand the long view in education. Just see his high school coding initiatives. It so happens that in 2019, U.S. jobs in the technical fields are growing faster than most others. So Arkansas' students should be equipped to enter those fields soonest. And now Asa Hutchinson has set his sights on a new tech target: broadband expansion.
Entire chunks of Arkansas are without solid broadband options. Getting wired, high-speed Internet in communities like Deer and Hermitage is a much harder task to accomplish than getting it in Fayetteville or Little Rock. And having wired broadband is a much greater resource than cellular broadband because data limits and capacity are much higher.
There still may be a few folks scattered about who have dial-up Internet through a service, like AOL, but those speeds are inadequate to shop, take online college classes, or start an online business.
Gov. Asa Hutchinson laid out his plan to bring high-speed broadband access to every Arkansas community with at least 500 people in it by 2022, an ambitious goal to be sure. But it can be done.
It's a large challenge. Broadband access is sparse in areas like the Ozark Mountains, the Delta and the southern timberlands. That's a lot of cable to be buried or attached to poles. But it's important. How many potential Steve Jobses or Mark Zuckerbergs are lying in wait in rural communities, just needing the right access to jump-start their future careers and digital interests?
By setting out a state plan and goals, Internet service providers in Arkansas like Cox, AT&T, Verizon, Comcast and more can score higher when they apply for government grants to expand their networks.
And it so happens that FCC Chairman Ajit Pai has proposed a 10-year $20.4 billion Rural Digital Opportunity Fund. And the Department of Agriculture is also making money available for network expansion.
Arkansas can do this. The state just needs to be dedicated and get that funding. Fortunately, we have a forward-thinking governor eager to make tech advancements part of his political legacy.
Editorial on 05/18/2019