How many Idaho Legislatures have broadband?
From our friends at New West
Bill Underway to Develop Idaho Broadband Network
There has been some dispute over the past couple of years regarding how many people in Idaho lack high-speed Internet access.
I want to know how many Idaho Legislatures actually have Broadband?
When Butch kills this bill If this bill doesn’t pass for some reason I would like to see someone propose just making sure all of the Represenetives and Senators have broadband *and* actually use the Internets.
In light of our State budget shortfall I would be pleasently surprised if this bill passed.
My favorite out of context quote:
How will the Department of Administration define “broadband”?
Can they? This sounds like a Jaywalking opportunity.
Hehehe…. Everyone should call the Idaho Legislature and ask for “Bill Underway”.
A while back DeutscheBank analysts did a report on Qwest…turns out they operate with a mountainous pile of toxic debt, and do 85-90% of their gross business in 5 [AZ,CO,WA,OR,MN] of the 14 states their coverage area extends to. So to expect Q to invest seriously in Idaho is foolish. New Mexico’s legislature was bright enough to extract a promise from Q to wire most of the state for broadband when they did what Idaho did—de-regulate, them a few years back. Idaho got no quid pro quo [duh, you reckon?] but NM had to finally sue Q for monetary damages when they failed to perform.
None of my former biz-associates in NM, AZ, WA has anything good to say about Q, and in NM they’re still looking for ways to boot them out the state altogether.
Actually, I have a good thing to say about Qwest. They were the one phone company to turn down the Bush government’s illegal demand for tapping phone conversations.
The Legislature has wifi and they all have laptops. In fact, House members have to use their laptops to vote.
Two thoughts!
First, there is no budget shortfall technically. There is and will be a budget surplus. The amount of the surplus is the issue. At this point even with declining tax revenue reports we are talking about a surplus. So the conversation is really about how we spend the money (priorities).
Second, Qwest told the Legislative Revenue Outlook Committee TWO years ago that they would not be investing in Idaho unless it was within 10 miles of the freeway. They repeated that last year at the same Committee. In fact, the rumor was that somebody high up in Qwest actually squashed the Broadband effort by the Science and Technology Advisory Council.
Sharon, having a laptop and using it to vote is very different from having broadband in your home.
If the report is accurate, very few of our rural legislatures (that’s probably not a small number) will have broadband.
Rick, while it may not technically be a shortfall, the effect is still the same if you’ve already spent (or promised to spend) that money on programs you have to go back and cancel.
All, Qwest sucks, period. While I think it would be great to have rural broadband available via cable, it doesn’t mean that people will opt for it. Schools, businesses and government may take advantage of it. Besides that anyone I know who wants faster Internet just gets satellite.
Rick, that’s true for the fiscal year 2008, which ends on June 30. That is still expected to run a surplus — just smaller than they thought. It’s 2009 that’s the problem.
Tac, it’s true that having a laptop and using it to vote is different from having broadband at the home, but you were asking about rural legislatures.
By any chance did you mean “legislators”? That would definitely be an interesting question.
Sharon, if you’re going to seriously pursue the idea of being a poli-technology reporter, you need to dramatically improve your grasp of the nuances, especially in backward Idaho.