Appointed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Dr. Richmond said Internet service is doubly essential to the Redwood region in view of its deep-seated and long-term economic problems. “Humboldt County’s economy is at the lowest point since 1997 in terms of sales,” he underscored. View the powerpoint presentation here.
“We also suffer from a relatively high rate of poverty that in some areas of our region exceeds 50% for children under five years of age,” he said.
Dr. Richmond called attention to the strategic advantages conferred by the Internet. “Improving our broadband access is crucial for the transition of our local economy, full access to educational opportunities, reduced impact on the environment, stronger public safety, better access to high quality health care and, of course, access to information.”
The task force found that 1.4 million mostly rural Californians lack Internet service at any speed and barely more than 50% of residents have the Internet in their homes. “In the North Coast, 33% of households lack any broadband at all,” the task force said in its final report, which is available in full at the California Broadband Website.
All parts of the state, including rural, remote and tribal areas, should have high-speed Internet, the analysis recommends, citing the exceptional benefits such service would bestow on the economy, society and the environment. North Coast entrepreneurs could take up “home-shoring”—home-based customer services. Rural farmers would gain far greater access to market information, enabling them to expand their customer base. Capital investment in current- and next-generation Internet technology would generate North Coast jobs and shore up the regional economy.
The task force pointed to the future importance of distance learning, telecommuting and telemedicine. President Richmond and his task force colleagues called for the establishment of a statewide e-health network
“The task force’s recommendations will do much to improve access in rural locales, which occupy 92% of the state’s land area and accommodate about 3 million residents—more people than 20 other states,” Dr. Richmond said. “The task force recommends important changes in our regulatory framework that will enhance the deployment of broadband access to un-served and under-served rural areas.”
For example, California could realign its policies and provide access to Rights of Way at cost, a step that would foster the build out of wireless infrastructure to communities with no service. State-issued Internet bonds could help finance broadband infrastructure for the installation of key components like conduit towers. The state would not provide Internet service, however, leaving that to the private sector.
Tax incentives could be granted to Internet providers in rural and un-served locales. The task force suggested a 10% tax credit for capital expenditures invested in current-generation technology, and a 20% credit to spur the deployment of next-generation technology.
In the meantime, Humboldt State, through the leadership of its California Center for Rural Policy (CCRP), has created Redwood Coast Connect.
It is aimed at making broadband available to all rural communities in the region through the aggregation of users, engagement of providers, simplification of county and municipal policies and tapping the ingenuity of entrepreneurs. It grew out of relationships kindled by the Governor’s Broadband Task Force and is funded by grants from the California Emerging Technology Fund, the Humboldt Area Foundation, the McLean Foundation, the Redwood Region Economic Development Commission, the Headwaters Fund and other regional entities.
The rural policy team is a branch of Redwood Coast Rural Action (RCRA), the coalition of community leaders from Del Norte, Trinity, Mendocino and Humboldt Counties. It is led by the Humboldt Area Foundation, College of the Redwoods and Humboldt State University.
President Richmond emphasized that the recommendations of the Governor’s Broadband Task Force and the groundwork by Redwood Coast Connect will position the North Coast to be a model for all of rural California regarding the development and growth of affordable broadband access, Internet applications and assistance for citizens to learn to use the network’s powerful tools.
Rural California and the North Coast also were represented on the Governor’s Broadband Task Force by Peter Pennekamp, Executive Director of the Humboldt Area Foundation and Tina Nerat, CEO of Neratech.