Fast Internet for All! Or Not

I was reading an article on Computerworld.com today on the proposal to shift some money away from subsidizing telephones to subsidizing broadband Internet access to rural areas. More specifically, the article was describing statements by U.S. Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas) of the House Energy and Commerce Committee that there is no need for the federal government to provide this as a utility. I found myself ambivalent toward the opinions expressed by the author; part of me wants fast Internet for rural areas, yet another part asks if this is something the government should do.

I hope someday to live in a rural setting far away from the noise and hassles of the city or suburbs. My wife and I talk about whether we would rather live near the ocean or the mountains, yet in either case we are talking about finding a place that is quiet and beautiful. My biggest requirement is that I have high speed Internet access. What I don't see in this article I referred to, is that you have options for satellite Internet connections already, virtually anywhere in the United States, and that 3G and 4G services are spreading all the time. So why the push to correct this great inequality? The Federal Communication Commission (FCC) wants to pay for expansion of Internet to rural communities as a right. They make it sound as if those of us that have Internet connections are unfairly abusing those of us who do not.

This gets closer to the core of the matter for me: is Internet access as right? Did the Founding Fathers write about Life, Liberty, and Fast Broadband Access? If they did, I must have missed that part. Yes, having access to fast Internet in rural communities is a great idea that would be embraced by roughly the same percentage of people that have access to it now: estimates put broadband availability at 95% of American homes, and of those approximately 65% take advantage of it. Hmm, that's odd, that doesn't sound as though every American requires fast Internet in order to live a productive and happy life. Many do have access and still choose not to use it.

This seems like another waste of government time and money masquerading as a good idea. Yes, broadband access is good. No, I do not believe that the federal government should provide it as a right. It is a tool and a priviledge, it is not a right.