Guest column: It's time to close digital divides within Oklahoma's rural communities
When widespread stay-at-home orders demonstrated the real-world negative consequences of huge gaps between internet service areas, it became clear that this lack of connectivity left much of rural Oklahoma in the dark. Even before the pandemic, Oklahoma ranked 47th in the nation for both the number of residents connected to the internet and the average internet speed.
About 80% of our state lacks broadband access, leaving as many as 342,000 of Oklahoma’s students without internet service during the pandemic. This lack of connectivity was when many students were already struggling with the challenges of remote learning, and it further exacerbated our children’s academic struggles.
Moreover, since the rural economy accounts for about 10% of our nation’s gross domestic product, the significance of rural communities to the nation’s economic vitality should not be understated. But, without reliable internet connections, rural communities often lack the infrastructure needed to compete in today’s economy. Oklahoma’s leaders recognized the importance of rural connectivity and are now taking action.
Advancing rural broadband expansion is essential to achieve economic parity across the state, and Oklahoma is fortunate to have strong champions for this effort. Earlier this year, Speaker of the Oklahoma House Charles McCall, Rep. Brad Boyles, Rep. Logan Phillips, and Oklahoma Senate President Pro Tempore Greg Treat co-authored legislation to serve 95% of Oklahoma residents with adequate broadband internet capabilities before July 2027. The legislation also established the Oklahoma Broadband Office to facilitate the state’s broadband expansion efforts.
Gov. Kevin Stitt codified the state’s commitment to expanding rural broadband by signing the Broadband Expansion Act in May. A few weeks later, President Joe Biden announced that $45 billion in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funds would go to broadband expansion efforts across rural America. Oklahoma is now vying for between $1 billion and $1.5 billion in federal infrastructure dollars to help fund expansion efforts in our state.
Lawmakers may have put Oklahoma in a better position to obtain federal funding, but implementing rural broadband expansion is a big undertaking. As the state of Oklahoma works to put the right people and processes in place to manage broadband expansion efforts, private companies should prepare for rural infrastructure projects coming in the months and years ahead. This includes building a robust pipeline of skilled workers to build rural infrastructure projects. Providing Oklahoma’s workforce with the technical skills and tools needed to build rural broadband infrastructure is imperative to the success of the Broadband Expansion Act.
To close the digital divide and improve broadband access for rural Oklahomans and on tribal lands, we need leaders from across government and private-sector industries to work together. Meeting the state’s goal of connecting 95% of Oklahoma residents by 2027 requires planning, coordination and partnerships to succeed. Building the infrastructure that will serve as the backbone of our state’s economy will need federal funding, state and local government collaboration, and private-sector buy-in. Altogether, this collaboration is essential to build rural broadband infrastructure, connect communities and strengthen Oklahoma’s economy.
Kevin Smith is the general manager of Ditch Witch based in Perry.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: It's time to close digital divides within Oklahoma's rural communities
