Powerful Living By Mary Logan Wolf I
In northeast Oklahoma, Lake Region Electric Cooperative is making it happen. We’re bringing
n 1964 the Beatles appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show, the fi rst Ford Mustang rolled off the as- sembly line and electricity arrived at the home of Robert and Jane Young of Coweta, Okla.
AHEAD “
FULL SPEED Fiber broadband in the boondocks?
It was a late upgrade by any measure, but for the Youngs’ 11-year-old son, Stan, it brought television, and the world, to his doorstep. Today, Stan Young equates the arrival of electricity to another vital rural conduit—broadband telecom- munications. As member services director for Lake Region Electric Cooperative (LREC), Young’s expe- riences make him an outspoken advocate of LREC’s bold, some might argue, risky venture to extend fi ber optic cable to every home and business on their elec- tric system. “We’re bringing communications technology to rural areas in the same way we brought electricity in the ‘30s and ‘40s,” Young says. Based in Hulbert, Okla., LREC’s web of power- lines weaves over 3,040 miles in Cherokee, Wagoner, Adair, Muskogee, Mayes, Rogers and Delaware counties. The rugged Ozark foothills, blessed with lakes, clear-fl owing streams and abundant trees, at- tract tourists, retirees, commuters and second homeowners who enjoy the region’s natural beauty and recreational opportunities. At 7.9 members per mile of line, LREC claims the second highest con- sumer density of Oklahoma’s 30 distribution co-ops, yet 85 percent of its members lack access to advanced broadband technology. In some areas, this includes basic telephone service. “Sure, internet is a problem, but some of our members can’t even get landline telephone unless they pay the full cost of running the line,” Young says. “And cell phone service is impossible because of all the hills.” Across the nation, it’s the same tired tune: Roughly 34 million Americans
communications technology to rural areas in the same way we brought electricity in the ‘30s and ‘40s.
- Stan Young, LREC member services director
to serve 100 million Americans with 100 Mbps broadband service by 2020; however, critics claim this overlooks millions of residents, most of them rural. First in line for federal funds earmarked for delivering broadband to underserved areas, major telecom providers have made slow if not reluctant progress. Meanwhile, rural residents, businesses and towns fi nd themselves suspended in the bardo of substandard service. Ignored by the kingpins of telecommunications, some are turning to their local electric co-op for answers. In Oklahoma, LREC and Vinita-based Northeast
”
lack advanced telecommunications capabilities, defi ned by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) as broadband data transmission with speeds of at least 25 megabytes per second (Mbps) download/3 Mbps up. Lofty goals set forth under the FCC’s 2009 National Broadband Plan aim
6
Oklahoma Electric Cooperative currently offer fi ber broadband for members. A report from the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association fi nds 21 electric cooperatives in the U.S. offer broadband via fi ber for their members, and this number is rapidly growing.
Why co-ops? Jonathan Chambers, former head of the FCC
offi ce of strategic planning and policy analysis, believes electric co-ops are key to bringing true high-speed broadband communications to rural America. In a recent podcast for the Community Broadband Network, Chambers praised co-ops who are building fi ber networks in the most re- mote areas and doing so affordably without government support. Cooperatives are uniquely positioned to provide fiber-to-the-home,
Chambers says, because they have the infrastructure—meaning poles, equip- ment, bucket trucks and rights of way—in place. “They are used to responding to emergencies in the middle of the night,”
Chambers adds. “They have equity in their system, and they have the ca- pacity to borrow funds to continue to build.” Furthermore, he believes cooperatives are well suited to fi ber because they are member-owned organizations and have a built-in base of interest before the project begins.
But making it work takes leadership, Chamber stresses.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110
