The Internet & Our Future

Editors Note:  The following guest post is written by Isaac Newton Farris Jr., nephew of Dr Martin Luther King Jr.  He was born in Atlanta, Georgia and attended his uncle’s alma mater, Morehouse College where he majored in Political Science. Mr. Farris is the President and CEO of the Martin Luther King Center for Social Change located in Atlanta, Ga.

My uncle, Martin Luther King, Jr. once described freedom as “the bonus we receive for knowing the truth.” But for Dr. King, knowledge by itself was never the end point. His greatest concern was what people would do with their knowledge.

That’s why it is so fitting that the Obama Administration has spent Black History Month by, among other things, putting the finishing touches on its strategy for expanding affordable high-speed Internet service. For the African-American community, this is a truly monumental decision. The idea of affordable Internet access for every resident holds remarkable potential for all our brothers and sisters.

How important? What television was to previous generations, the Internet is for us today. It holds the key to so many benefits: knowledge, education, employment, political activism and the promise of a better future. In short, it is the means of empowerment.

Today’s Internet is the link that gives our children access to high-quality educational resources; it helps our entrepreneurs and small businesses compete and grow; and the Internet holds the promise of better healthcare and more affordable entertainment.

That is what’s at stake with the decisions put forth in the Federal Communications Commission’s National Broadband Plan due to Congress in March and why it is so important that the commissioners choose wisely. The cost of bringing the Internet to those who do not have it is fearsome. It can cost on average as much as $30,000 per mile to deploy fiber optic cable. Wireless service is also expensive, costing $75,000 to $125,000 per square mile in a typical urban setting.

Faced with these stark costs, the Administration’s overriding concern related to the Internet should be doing what is necessary to spur deployment of new broadband systems. Yet some well-meaning people are pushing the Administration in a different direction.

These groups that encourage rules over the Internet would essentially require all Internet providers to treat every bit of data the same. Think of a four-way traffic stop, which represents how our Internet is working successfully today, and then take away the signs, which is what “net neutrality” regulations would require. There are a number of implications here, and we need to be sure how they will affect our digital future.

Many voices in the African-American community have spoken out on this issue. A recent open letter signed by 23 civil rights organizations, including 100 Black Men of America, raised caution about “a number of proposals… that may discourage broadband adoption.”

Closer to my home, State Rep. Calvin Smyre over in Columbus, GA has pounced on the real issue. Smyre is president of the National Black Caucus of State Legislators (NBCSL) and an outspoken leader in the effort to improve Internet access for the African-American community. Earlier this year, he and other Black leaders called out to federal officials, saying, “We think it absolutely essential that proactive steps be taken to increase awareness in our communities about the transformative power of broadband and to incent broadband adoption and use.”

The phrase “incent broadband adoption” may strike some as a little dry. So let’s put that in real terms. A growing Internet presence can help the African-American community with two of its most important issues, jobs and economic growth. When it comes to the high-tech industry, the state of Georgia has a wonderful success story. Between 2002 and 2008, high-tech exports increased 30 percent, to $637 million. By one estimate nearly 15,000 of our jobs are supported by these exports.

All you need to do is look down the list of leading employers here – healthcare companies, our universities, media – and the value of better Internet service becomes obvious. All of them need the finest Internet networks in order to succeed. So why shouldn’t we all treat broadband Internet as the great digital equalizer for communities across America?

It has been more than four decades since America heard the challenges laid down by Dr. King’s powerful voice. We’ve seen great progress. And yet our society is still confronting many of the same challenges Uncle Martin faced – the mountain of poverty in our cities, the epidemic of high school dropouts, the cycle of gangs and violence facing too many of our young people.

As the Administration finalizes its Internet plan, I hope it keeps the focus on the right place: doing everything possible to help all Americans gain the benefits of the 21st century Internet.

About the Author
Angela Benton is the Founder and Publisher of BlackWeb20.com. Her experience spans a variety of industries including consultative relationships with companies such as UPS, Bizjournals.com, Realestate.com, and Lendingtree.com.
See all posts by Angela.