|
Missing the Connection
Alisa Rath
To succeed in our farm business our family needs
high-speed Internet service that is prompt,
efficient and most of all, effective. Our
Internet service experiences have been just the
opposite. On top of that, living in a rural area
means our choices are few and expensive.
We used to have dial-up Internet service.
Sometimes we would download information at
night, hoping it would be completed by morning.
This approach rarely worked as disconnections
were frequent.
We live three miles from Colorado and seven
miles from Nebraska. When you hear the words,
‘rural Kansas,’ that’s us. Like most farm
families, we have one phone line. It’s
impractical and frustrating to get a busy signal
at our home because we are online. We would
often miss important business-related calls.
Often, my husband calls from the field when he
needs fuel or a ride home.
Without high-speed service, we knew
instinctively we were missing opportunities. We
knew how much more business we could conduct
online if our service were faster. We visited
websites offering market prices and agriculture
research. But with dial-up it was just too slow
to make the connection.
After much thought, we began looking into our
options for broadband. To my surprise, there
were none. Turns out we live too far out of
town. A neighbor mentioned satellite-driven
Internet providers that cater to folks like us.
Although the monthly cost was exorbitant
compared to high-speed service in town, we felt
we had no other options. We agreed the benefits
outweighed the costs, so we re-arranged the
family budget and purchased it.
We realized the value of faster Internet service
immediately. We buy bulls yearly and that market
has migrated online. Catalogs and mailers from
bull sellers now list a website and live, online
auctions. We could now bid on a bull in South
Dakota or Ohio. We now had the ability to
analyze and compare costs, giving us a broader
lot to select from.
We were also able to check the wheat prices
daily, do our banking online, follow the
weather, farm commentary and get the best deals
on equipment and parts. All elements essential
to helping our business grow and succeed.
Still, our satellite-driven Internet service is
not without its challenges. We operate at half
the connection speed our friends in town get
with broadband access. We could upgrade to a
slightly faster service, but again, our price
would go up and we simply can’t justify the
expense.
Additionally, when the satellite dish in our
yard went down, we were without service for
nearly a month. The closest service technician
our provider found was in Oklahoma. It took
another week for him to make the trip to
Cheyenne County, Kan.
Fortunately, the technician was able to fix our
system on site. I can’t imagine if he would have
had to locate a part and come out another time.
So even though we have an Internet connection,
we are frustrated with our service – especially
given how much we are paying for it.
In today’s electronically driven world, everyone
should be allowed the same opportunity for
coverage, regardless of how remote their
location. As more and more work opportunities
move away from the traditional 9 to 5 office
role, we need access to the worldwide web and
the opportunities it provides like everyone
else.
If not, I worry that it’s one more reason for us
to leave our rural communities and move to the
city. High-speed Internet service has become an
expectation, like electricity, telephone service
and cable TV. If rural areas are to thrive in
today’s competitive climate, we need the same
advantages available in town.
Comments?
|
