TMP #2 – Broadband Connectivity [INSTRUCTIONS]
Team Mini-Project (TMP) #2: Broadband Connectivity/Ethics
Description of assignment (Group/Team Activity)
There is a well-documented “digital divide” between rural and urban areas when it comes to broadband access. As of 2015, 74% of U.S. households in urban areas had residential broadband connections, compared with only 64 percent of rural households. This gap has persisted over time. The lack of broadband access in rural areas is primarily a function of low population density resulting in lower financial incentives for commercial broadband providers to invest in broadband infrastructure in those areas.
In this activity, you will explore the challenge of addressing this complex issue from a variety of perspectives and then be asked to support the position of either: (a) the perspective of the telecom industry or (b) the local community struggling to provide broadband connectivity to its citizens and industry.
Background Information/Research:
24 Million Americans Still Lack Broadband ConnectivityLinks to an external site. (July 2018)
Why is broadband access still a problem?Links to an external site. (2016)
FCC Broadband Access ReportLinks to an external site. (2016)
Center for Rural StrategiesLinks to an external site.
Developer Takes on AT&T and Comcast in Rural (TN) Broadband BattleLinks to an external site. (2016)
Connect America FundLinks to an external site.
What is Tennessee doing to address rural broadband access?Links to an external site. (2018)
As you are thinking about this problem, also think about completely unique ways of solving it. For example, there’s the recent story (August 2022) of an individual in rural Michigan who built his own regional ISPLinks to an external site. after struggling to get suitable commercial connectivity.
Questions to consider:
Who should be responsible for providing broadband access to under-served regions?
What role should state governments play in addressing access to broadband internet in under-served regions?
What are appropriate strategies for financial support of broadband in under-served areas? Federal subsidies to consumers? Federal subsidies to providers?
What role should rural municipal governments play in addressing broadband access in their communities?
List three (3) reasons supporting the decision to let the telecom industry solve this need based primarily on its business decisions. [Side A]
List three (3) reasons why communities should have broad latitude to address broadband access in whatever way they choose including publicly-supported service. [Side B]
Sides (Opposing Positions):
Side A (Telecom industry provider of commercial broadband service)
Side B (Local community board seeking non-industry solution)
How to analyze and construct a group response:
For this assignment, we are assuming there are broadly two “sides” to the issue of addressing broadband shortfalls in underserved regions (rural, poor urban, etc.) One side would be the community (Side B) taking matters into its own hands and the other would be to rely primarily on commercial internet companies (Side A) to address it based on their business case assessment of providing (or not) broadband internet to specific areas currently underserved. Each side sees the issue through a potentially different lens and might address it based on that side’s perception of the “right” way. Your team needs to analyze this challenge through both perspectives and provide arguments supporting both sides using the six (6) questions as a framework for each perspective.
What to Submit:
Organize a response to the questions above taking into consideration both sides (A and B). Submit your response in the form of a document that can be posted or linked for sharing (Word document, web-page URL, Wiki, Googledoc, etc.)
Include in your report a list of any outside sources you used in researching & developing your team’s report. You are not required to use APA, but provide at a minimum: (1) the title of the source and (2) a URL or equivalent sufficent for a reader to retrieve your source.
Post your work on this step to the ICA#2-Broadband Connectivity-Ethics assignment folder. — (Note: A single post representing your team is all that’s required. Include the names of all team members in the header/identifying information of your posted document.)
How you will be assessed:
100% (50 pts) – Quality of the content of your team’s written post with respect to the assignment’s description [for the group]
Note: Credit will be assigned only to named contributors in the submitted document. A name omitted from the list will receive no credit on the assignment.
