Broadband users, watch your wallets

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Can't afford to wait.

While your usage might be something you call a luxury, that is not the case for many. Some examples if I may:

In a small town (pop 900) 20 miles or so away from me, my local insurance rep was forced to close his doors and relocate to an area with broadband. Why? Because most of the major underwriters are requiring it. They want very little information stored locally and are putting almost all interaction with the reps on the web via web based applications. From their point of view, most reps can get or have broadband and this move cuts their costs. (The few that can't get it can move.) In this situation the town lost another business and the four jobs it provided. For me personally it means I must now travel twice as far to do business with him.

Same small town. The local chamber of commerce worked with the Department of Development for almost two years trying to bring a manufacture to the area. The manufacture loved the area, loved the available work force, and loved the tax advantages being offered. However when they found they could not get broadband they rejected the towns offer. No new jobs.

Local farmers are having a very difficult time competing with farmers that do have broadband. Why? Because markets change very quickly (price paid for hogs, beef, grains) and it's all but impossible to track those changes on a minute by minute basis without broadband. Trust me when I tell you a price change of 2 cents a lb. for hogs or beef can mean the difference between a profitable or non profitable year for a farmer. (For the city folks, farming is NOT a small business anymore!)

I could give you more examples but the bottom line is that the world is changing very fast and business is leading the way when it comes to use of the internet. Those that must wait, are simply left behind or they disappear. Rural areas of the US are already facing very hard economic times and this situation is making it worse everyday. Some see broadband as a luxury, but I assure you many think of it as a must have if they are to survive.

Posted by: No_Ax_to_Grind   Posted on: 04/28/04 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use

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