Wired

[dv8nation.livejournal.com]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-15320628

The European Commission is set to propose investing almost €9.2bn in a massive rollout of super-fast broadband infrastructure and services across the European Union.The plan is partly aimed at stimulating further investment in rural broadband. It is hoped the initiative will also help to create a single market for digital public services. The Commission has already set targets for improving the speed of home internet connections across the region.

It aims to get all European households on at least 30 megabits per second (Mbps) by 2020, with half the population enjoying more than 100Mbps, so as to make the continent more competitive and productive.


I think this is a fantastic idea. South Korea, where I currently live, is AFAIK the only country on the planet that has broadband nationwide. It's a move than seems to have paid off for Korean industry and I have to say that living in a very wired country is pretty handy at times. Of course, Korea has an area only about the size my home state of Indiana. So covering the whole country was a much easier thing to do than it would be in a fairly large nation like France or Germany.

Now I don't know enough about economics to really say how much of a boon such tech would be to rural economies. But I do think that a LACK of tech is poison to growth. If you've ever looked a map showing cell phone coverage in the US you'll see some "dead zones." Usually they're out in the Mojave dessert or some place like that. However, I have relatives who live in the Appalachian Mountains in a place where you can't get cell phone service. Until just a few years ago you couldn't get any internet that wasn't dial up and even then the connection was often rather bad.

Needless to say, it's a VERY poor area. Sure, there are a lot of other factors at play in that situation. But tell me a business that's going to want to open in an area where people can't even use a cell.

Anyway, while just how much this will help the EU economy remains to be seen. But I do think it WILL help and that it will also be a boost to the simple of quality of life for people living in rural Europe. I know there's been talk of a similar program in the US. Hopefully this will spur things on.

Comments

[the-rukh.livejournal.com]

BIG GOVERNMENT INTERVENTION COMMUNISM COMMUNISM COMMUNISM

thats why it won't happen in the US.

[kylinrouge.livejournal.com]

It's nice to see some good news posted here once in a while.

[sealwhiskers.livejournal.com]

I too think this is great. In my profession, they've started a huge common database project for the EU countries too, which goes hand in hand with this, it will probably bring lots of jobs to different areas and revenue too (since users pay for this stuff)

[okmewriting.livejournal.com]

So long as this is actually a minimum of 30mb rather than the "upto" 30mb than the ISPs over here like to quote e.g upto 21mb is actually between 4 - 21mb.

[telemann.livejournal.com]

There was some broadband to rural areas programs in the stimulus package (I think). The Secretary of the USDA was on Rachel Maddow's show talking about the program (the USDA handles anything related to rural areas apparently-- they were responsible for electrification for farms during the 1930s through the 1950s. Here's the video interview. (http://www.muninetworks.org/content/rachel-maddow-public-investment-broadband-important)

[kylinrouge.livejournal.com]

Good video. The point about electrification is spot-on- it was not profitable to do it at the time for private enterprises, so they didn't do it for half a century, it wasn't until government agencies like the TVA that large parts of the country had electricity.

[allhatnocattle.livejournal.com]

And electrification brought conveniences like indoor plumbing, and a whole new era of personal hygiene. http://esask.uregina.ca/entry/rural_electrification.html

[mrbogey.livejournal.com]

They don't have to fund rural broadband if they'd just stop fucking up the regulatory environment. Can all the nonsense on line-sharing, allow for the total depreciation of copper facilities, and regulate all forms of telecommunications the same way.

[telemann.livejournal.com]

Yeah, noted.

[kardashev.livejournal.com]

This is nothin'. Just wait and see what the world is like in 2030 when computer chips are super small and cost less than a penny each. Everywhere will be wired.

[onefatmusicnerd.livejournal.com]

It is also worth noting that South Korea is relatively inexpensive to wire compared to the United States. With about 100000km^2 and 46 millions of inhabitants, 460 people would share the expense for wiring every square kilometer.In West Virginia, which has a per capita income only slightly higher, 30 people would share that same expense - making it about about 15 times more expensive per person. And West Virginia has a population density pretty close to the US average (WV 30 per km^2, US 32 per km^2). Even adjusting for income differences, this project would take about ten times the percentage of an individual's income in the US than in South Korea.

[gunslnger.livejournal.com]

Gotta let all those farmers get access to cheap porn too, after all, right?

[unnamed525.livejournal.com]

Socialism