Posted on 12/11/2001 11:59:04 AM PST by farmfriend
Grange Supports High Speed Internet Access for Rural America
(Washington, DC) December 3, 2001--One hundred years ago this year, the Grange was instrumental in winning Rural Free Delivery Mail service. That legislation opened vast new opportunities for communication and commerce for millions of Americans living on our nation’s farms and in rural communities. Today, the Grange wants to celebrate that victory by supporting HR 1542, the Internet Freedom and Development Act of 2001, legislation that will help bring high speed Internet access to rural America.
“The Grange believes that rural Americans deserve access to the same basic public and commercial services that urban Americans enjoy. Advanced telecommunications services, such as high speed internet access is one of those basic services. However, misguided government regulation is keeping those of us in rural areas from taking full advantage of E-commerce,” stated Leroy Watson, National Grange Legislative Affairs Director. H.R. 1542 would help address this problem by mandating rapid deployment of high speed internet services by local phone companies to large and small communities alike. Representatives Billy Tauzin (R-LA) and John Dingell (D-MI) co-sponsored the legislation, which is commonly called the Tauzin-Dingell Bill.
Currently, the Telecommunications Act of 1996 requires local telephone companies to share their infrastructure with broadband competitors such as AT&T but not visa-versa. The 1996 law was enacted to prevent local telephone companies from monopolizing local voice communications. It had nothing to do with Internet services. The result is that telephone companies are discouraged from making the investment necessary to compete in the high speed Internet market. That leaves unregulated cable/broadband companies, like AT&T, virtually without competition. These companies have ignored rural America for more lucrative urban markets. According to U.S. government data, fewer than 5 percent of Americans in towns with 10,000 or fewer residents have broadband access. Only one percent of citizens have broadband access in towns of 2,500 or less.
The National Grange supports the Tauzin-Dingell Bill because it will break down the regulatory barriers preventing local telephone companies from providing broadband Internet service to their existing rural customers. “The adoption of Rural Free Delivery Mail service in 1901 set the precedent for universal service, or the idea that rural Americans were entitled to receive the same level and quality of public and commercial service that people in urban areas receive. Today, the Internet Freedom and Development Act of 2001 extends that idea one step further, to include universal access to advanced telecommunications technologies to all Americans regardless of where they live. Access to broadband Internet will be as important to rural America in the 21st century as universal mail and telephone service has been in the century just completed,” Watson stated.
The National Grange is the country’s oldest rural advocacy organization. It was founded in 1867. The Grange has been instrumental in passing legislation benefiting not just farmers, but all rural Americans. It focuses on the basics of rural infrastructure such as health care, education and communications. The Grange has approximately 300,000 individual members affiliated with 3,400 local, county and state Granges throughout 37 states. # # # #
The founding premise of the Grange was to support, improve, and educate the farm family.
The California State Grange, a general farm organization, strongly supports the right of a person to work for a decent wage. Regulations and rules on working conditions must reasonably assure the safety of a responsible worker without excessive expenditures for the employer. Organized labor must recognize the perishability of some commodities and exercise reasonable labor dispute practices that assure consumer availability, and that grower's future viability is not threatened.
Since its beginning, the Grange has been a family organization, and we will remain on guard, ready to oppose legislation and laws that effectively break down the basic family unit. We strongly support the rights of parents to make the decisions for the discipline and welfare of their children.
We actively support the ongoing education of all individuals, young and old, in current crime trends.
The Grange is strongly supportive of efforts to eliminate the availability of illicit drugs throughout the nation.
We support efforts to educate our population about the dangers of recreational drug use. However, we believe that the monetary benefits that come from the illegal sales of drugs is far greater than the consequences of being caught. Therefore, we favor much heavier penalties for the importation, manufacture, distribution and sales of illicit drugs.
The members of the California State Grange will support efforts to change the way prison inmates are treated. It is our conviction that prisoners are offered things that would not be available to them outside prison. Public funding for frivolous law suits and expensive exercise equipment are some of the privileges that must be removed. We believe in sensible programs of work, including such things as producing their own food and clothing are noteworthy improvements. Our penal system must become a place of punishment for those who commit crimes against society. We strongly believe the rehabilitation of career criminals is a failed social experiment, and that those criminals must be punished in full for their crimes.
Personally, I am not in favor of the war on drugs but I must abide by the policy set by the membership. The Grange is also infavor of the production of industrial hemp.
Transportation modes have changed during the 124 years of our existence in California, and the Grange has been intensely interested in its evolution. Transportation today, is an integral component of our societal culture, and the diversity of vehicles demand our attention to safety, economy, their effect on our environment and the supporting infrastructure.
The California State Grange is opposed to regulations, whose benefits are questionable, and could have severe safety implications. We are opposed to an increase of the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFÉ) standards. Higher standards can only make marginal improvements in emissions, and will cause a downsizing of vehicles and thereby reduce their safety and utility.
As a general farm organization, the Grange supports research and development of bio-fuels that are based on renewable resources such as methanol. We will continue to work for less federal regulatory involvement. We will support more programs that encourage local government and private enterprise to resolve the technical details for transportation safety.
Comments?
Farmers know the conditions they are in. If they 'need' high speed internet access (maybe they're designing web sites on the side????) they should pay for it themselves. I'm not in favor of spending money so some farmer or his kids can play unreal tournament online. Or download porn or mp3's faster.
To me we are at a stage akin to trying to buy everyone a 1985 computer. Nobody will ever need more than 640K memory!! We really need to see how much bandwidth all people need. Do we need enough to watch full screen streaming television?
I guarantee that some politician will make a decision along the lines of "We need x bandwidth" only to have a year pass and this will be just a scrap of actually needed speed. I would much perfer to monitor urban levels first to get an idea of how much is enough. If we have to do it and don't do it right, in 5 years from the date of completion, we will have to do it all over again.
Let the market decide!
If not, why do you support things that would take away some of my assets (through taxes or extra fees) to increase the quality of life in rural areas?????
The market can't decide as long as there are artificial barriers set up to control voice transmition being applied to data transmition. That's what this is all about.
WHEREAS, it has been consistently reported that the doctrines of communism is being taught in out public schools and universities of California.
WHEREAS, if such practices of these exist in our schools it should be reported at once to our State board of Education for correction.
WHEREAS, we as tax payers of the State do urgently request the passage of a law at the convening of the legislative body of our State which will compel every teacher to refrain from teaching or influencing in any way students to despise our flag and to disrespect the Constitution of our United States of America and our democratic form of government.
WHEREAS, if any teacher be found guilty of such practices as referred to, it shall be deemed sufficient evidence for their immediate dismissal.
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that we are opposed to the teaching of all communistic doctrines in our public schools.
Sounds like we were loaded with communists.
Resolution #57, Sixty-second Annual Session, California State Grange (1934)
Consolidation of School Districts
RESOLVED: That the California State Grange is absolutely opposed to consolidation of school districts as outlined by the committee on reorganization appointed by the State Superintendent. We are opposed to any further expansion and centralization of administrative power over the schools by the State Superintendent's office. Control of the schools and present system of administration must remain with the people.
But, if I'm being asked to pay for high speed connections for you while I sit here with my 31200 bps, please bring me a half gallon of milk and some steaks. I assume you will pay for these items.
Thank you.
It does require the RBOCs to install DSLAMs in their central offices - but it does not require them to actually offer service on them.
Furthermore, the RBOCs have not given any specific committments to expand DSL service if the bill passes. I think they should go on the record with some specific plans they will implement if they want to get this bill passed.
I think the better solution is for Congress and the FCC to set DSL as the new standard for telephone networks, and phase out the 100-year-old voice grade standard. The Bells will say it is impossible and too expensive, but I don't believe it.
BTW, I live and work in the country, not in the city. Broadband maybe doing fine in the city, but I don't have first hand knowledge.
SBC promised to get a certain percentage of customers access to DSL availability, then they broke their promise. Whitacre blamed it on the WTC attacks and federal regulations (the same regulations that were in place when he made his original Project Pronto announcement.)
I hope Congress won't give in to SBC's blackmail. They should just declare DSL the new telecommunications standard and give the RBOCs a few years to switch over - with incentives like investment tax credits if the RBOCs are successful, and more access by the competition to the RBOC network if they fail.
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