[1st-mile-nm] NM's Digital Divide and Dividend

[Richard Lowenberg]

This morning's posting on this list, of today's article
in the ABQ Journal provokes me to comment here.

As the article makes clear, the broadband divide concerns
in NM and throughout the country are economic, not a
technical problem.   While much good work and support are
in process here, we are nowhere near where we all need to
be, with regard to broadband access, affordability and
lives and livelihoods improving applications and uses.
Once 'stimulus' funded and other investments are completed
later this year, we will still be years behind where we
ought to be, without a coordinated plan on leveraging those
investments for next-phase deployments and developments.

I and the 1st-Mile Institute have for many years been
recommending a coordinated statewide series of joint
public-private working meetings to address the economics
of NM broadband ways forward, with likely win-win outcomes.
The current Governor's Office has responded, "leave it to
the private sector", and organizers of last year's 'stimulus'
funded NM Broadband Conference refused to address this issue.

Much like our 'new energy' requirements, broadband development
is a long-term issue, but there is plenty of money to be made
for companies' shareholders, coop members, and right-of way
owning municipalities, while rates for subscribers can be reduced.
However, this will not be possible community by community, or
company by company.  Creating a viable economic strategy, is
a geographic (urban-rural) market-scaled approach, requiring
statewide (or even multi-state) aggregation and adoption efforts.

Little has been moved forward or realized in this regard.
Contentiousness and us-them responses, blaming bad economic
times will not get us to where we need or want to be.

Is there the will to move forward; to bring together our best
financial and economic thinkers and doers, to address this
matter.   If not, we will continue to see articles about the
digital divide for the next many years, as we have since the
rolling out of the Internet twenty years ago.

RL


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Richard Lowenberg, Executive Dir.
1st-Mile Institute, 505-603-5200
P.O.Box 8001, Santa Fe, NM 87504
www.1st-mile.com  rl at 1st-mile.com
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