Access to the Internet has grown exponentially since Iowa entered the digital age, and U.S. Congressman for Iowa’s second congressional district Dave Loebsack (D) discussed Internet access and broadband during a Feb. 6 meeting at Clarke County Development Corporation (CCDC).
“It is a big challenge and it’s hard to fathom, that in this day and age we have places that don’t have internet access,” said Bill Trickey, CCDC director.
Broadband, which is wide bandwidth data transmission with an ability to simultaneously transport multiple signals and traffic types, essentially means internet access at higher speeds than traditional dial-up access.
“Rural broadband, internet in general, affects a heck of a lot of things,” Loebsack said. “I know how important this is to rural communities, for economic development, for health, for a lot of different things.”
According to Connect Iowa 2014 statistics, Clarke County does not reach 100 percent of households served by low-speed available broadband.
Telemedicine was mentioned during the meeting, which means people can gain access to a health professional via video if a trip to the doctor’s office isn’t possible.
“Hospitals in Iowa are under a lot of pressure as it is already, and clearly, part of it is our aging population in Iowa,” Loebsack said. “As far as I’m concerned, from a health care perspective, it’s all about access. We want quality, affordable health care, but we’ve got to have access. ... And, with economies, you can do more with telehealth.”
Connect Iowa, which is a company in partnership with Iowa Economic Development Authority, has been in the works to allow broadband access everywhere in Iowa.
“We’ve made free Wifi available on the square, and at the Depot, but the big coup that happened through all this conversation was I got INS, Iowa Network Services, came through Osceola with fiber on their way to Grand River,” Trickey said. “I said, ‘How about providing service on your way down there?’ So they did a study and decided to do it. So now, we have fiber available to our business community.”
According to the statistics, of 3,701 households in Clarke County, 94.36 percent of households are served low-speed broadband, 83.41 percent have medium-speed access and 68.60 percent have high-speed access.
Clarke County has higher rates than Lucas and Madison counties and comparable rates to Decatur, Union and Warren counties.
Local Osceola businesses and schools also utilize broadband for classes and networking for jobs.
“It’s the price of admission for everybody, for everybody,” Loebsack said. “For education, for health, for economic development, not just for playing games.”