Internet Access Critical for Economic Development

Economic development can mean a lot of things to a lot of different people but for most communities this terminology means the difference in a small community growing or withering away on the vine. Everyone wants their community to be successful and most people would readily admit that more jobs and economic growth equate to a more prosperous community. The question is what are the critical ingredients for promoting strong economic development? While roads, infrastructure and a work force are important, one thing many people forget about is internet access.

Currently Alabama ranks 43rd in the nation for broadband access. While metro areas of Alabama seem to be keeping pace with the rest of the country in regard to internet access rural Alabama is falling far behind. This is critical because one of the first questions a company asks when it considers a site in Alabama is “Do you have broadband access in your community?” Unfortunately the answer to this question is often no. In the age of international economies working across national boundries it is even more important to have a site with broadband access.

As a member of the Alabama Rural Action Commission one of the projects we are working is trying to increase the access to the internet in rural Alabama. By looking at other states the road map is in place to make this effort a success. Kentucky is ranked number one in the nation for broadband access. This was only achieved after they implemented a program called “Connect Kentucky.” This effort created a public private partnership to make sure every community in Kentucky had access to the internet.

While we have a long way to go in economic development in Alabama, I think a program to bring the internet to rural Alabama would go a long way to improving the lives of a lot of communities in our state.