Kansas Farm Bureau®

  Seizing the Broadband Opportunity  Harry Watts

August '09

We all know the story: rural Kansas has been steadily losing population for the last century.  Some Kansas counties have seen a 70 percent loss in that time.  This outmigration of people, talent and money has left many rural communities struggling and on the brink of extinction.

Your Kansas Farm Bureau has seized on a new opportunity to help reverse this trend and improve life for our members and for all rural Kansans.

Under a new federal law, millions of dollars have become available to expand broadband internet service to every part of the nation. 

Broadband internet access is absolutely essential to the success of rural Kansas and Kansas Farm Bureau members.  Broadband gives farmers, ranchers, Main Street entrepreneurs and the entire community access to global markets, an increased customer base, expanded educational and employment opportunities and a connection to the outside world that those who already have broadband take for granted.

In fact, it’s not an exaggeration to say that rural Kansans who don’t have access to broadband are stuck in the 20^th century while the 21^st century races ahead of them.

That’s why KFB has applied for two federal grants that will not only sustain and support expanded broadband access but also establish a community computing center that we intend to make a national model.

The first effort, the Connect Kansas – Sustainable Broadband Adoption Initiative, seeks $7.4 million to develop market demand and sustainability for broadband in Kansas. KFB will be working with the organization Connected Nation to conduct comprehensive research on broadband use and barriers to broadband adoption in Kansas which will help in implementing customized awareness and educational programs.

Connected Nation will conduct extensive survey research to better understand the barriers to broadband technologies and applications within communities.  This research also helps identify pent-up demand for services in communities that private broadband service providers may not yet recognize. 

We will launch a statewide grassroots technology planning process and awareness campaigns in all counties in Kansas.  This process will be spearheaded by teams called eCommunity Leadership Teams that will consist of leaders in business, local and state government, education, healthcare, tourism and community. KFB’s county boards provide an instant pool of local leadership to serve on these eCommunity teams.
 

We will also assist grassroots organizations in establishing programs that will help encourage broadband adoption by individuals and the community and provide technology training and coordination of existing resources. 

This is an ambitious project, but it’s one we feel morally obligated to pursue. Kansas Farm Bureau cannot and will not stand by and watch our rural communities remain mired in the past with outdated technology.  The future of rural Kansas depends on broadband, and we will do our level best to get it for you. That’s my promise. 

Soon, I’ll talk about an exciting opportunity that we believe will serve as a national model for the way communities can access broadband and learn how to use it to better their lives. Stay tuned.

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