Rural areas are usually expected to not have internet access since internet providers prefer serving cities for guaranteed profit. Recently, Chattanooga is the fastest internet service in America, with the speed of every second loading one gigabyte, emerged in urban Tennessee. Although the issue of Digital Divide seems to no longer exist for that area, Joyce Coltrin, a resident, expresses her concern about threats to remove Chattanooga. According to her, the area has not received internet service for fifteen years before this service.
Chattanooga became so successful, it attained international attention along with other cities demanding to use their service. In response, the owner of Chattanooga EBE, requested the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to enable them to further expand their service.
Until customer complained about Time Warner Cable’s service, large cable companies rushed to restrict Chattanooga from prospering.One of the results was the creation of another high-speed internet called Greenlight, inside North Carolina. Despite the cable companies’ protests, the FCC claimed to follow the Telecomm Act of 1996, which urged decreasing the barrier from accessing broadband.
The citizens of Tennessee should continue to have internet access because they should be informed about events occurring inside and outside of their home. Inside a study, results proved that rural areas without internet access are less likely to participate in politics, compared to urban citizens. ( Sylvester, 70). Perhaps the citizens can use another internet service instead, but Chattanooga’s swift performance serves as a solution to the city’s own lack of internet for more than a decade.
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SOURCES:
Main Article
Information about Digital Divide and the Study of Rural People without Internet
Sylvester, Dari E. and Adam J. McGlynn. “The Digital Divide, Political Participation and Places.”Social Science Computer Review. 28.1 (2009): 70. Sage Publications. Web. 26 Aug. 2014.