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Grange News
Published on Thu, May 31, 2007Read More News
- by Donna Moody
May 31, 2007
The following information was taken from a story in the June 2007 issue of the Washington State Grange News, written by its editor Dave Howard, under the heading "Hooking Up America".
"Decades ago, the Grange fought hard to achieve parity in electricity distribution for residents of rural small towns and farms. We were successful and it's been a long time since a farm or rural household has been without labor-saving electricity.
"Today the struggle is similar but the product is much different. Instead of electricity, nowadays rural residents - and a whole lot of urbanites as well - are struggling to secure up-to-date technology connections at the best possible prices. Those services include broadband internet, voice telephone and a wide range of video delivery services (such as those provided by cable or satellite TV). These depend upon development and deployment of a high-capacity infrastructure capable of handling the technological needs of today and those that will likely arise in the future.
"In 2005, both the National Grange and the Washington State Grange become partners in a coalition known as Consumers for Cable Choice (C4CC) with Mr. Howard accepting a seat on the group's advisory board, representing the National Grange.
"At the time we came on board, C4CC was deeply involved in legislative efforts to pass a federal bill that would reform antiquated cable service franchise rules. Increased competition was seen as necessary in order for consumers to enjoy television at the lowest possible cost. Although the bill C4CC supported did pass in the U.S. House of Representatives, it was still bottled up in a Senate committee when the last Congress adjourned in December.
"While Congress was debating, legislatures in nine states with approximately 40 percent of the U.S. population enacted legislation to streamline cable franchise rules, thereby allowing for new, competing businesses in the market. Also, in March this year, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) weighed in on the topic with revised federal rules to further open the video delivery business to healthy competition.
"As was the case with electricity service in the 1940s, there remain huge pockets of our population that still cannot enjoy and profit from the latest communications technologies, however, public-private partnerships can go a long way toward closing those service gaps and in turn spur economic development, raise the standard of living and improve delivery of educational and medical services."
Thanks to Mr. Howard for his involvement with C4CC. There are many sides to this effort including the legal and financial issues it presents. We can be very proud that once again the Grange is taking a leading role on this very important issue, one that effects all of us in the U.S. and beyond.
May 31, 2007
The following information was taken from a story in the June 2007 issue of the Washington State Grange News, written by its editor Dave Howard, under the heading "Hooking Up America".
"Decades ago, the Grange fought hard to achieve parity in electricity distribution for residents of rural small towns and farms. We were successful and it's been a long time since a farm or rural household has been without labor-saving electricity.
"Today the struggle is similar but the product is much different. Instead of electricity, nowadays rural residents - and a whole lot of urbanites as well - are struggling to secure up-to-date technology connections at the best possible prices. Those services include broadband internet, voice telephone and a wide range of video delivery services (such as those provided by cable or satellite TV). These depend upon development and deployment of a high-capacity infrastructure capable of handling the technological needs of today and those that will likely arise in the future.
"In 2005, both the National Grange and the Washington State Grange become partners in a coalition known as Consumers for Cable Choice (C4CC) with Mr. Howard accepting a seat on the group's advisory board, representing the National Grange.
"At the time we came on board, C4CC was deeply involved in legislative efforts to pass a federal bill that would reform antiquated cable service franchise rules. Increased competition was seen as necessary in order for consumers to enjoy television at the lowest possible cost. Although the bill C4CC supported did pass in the U.S. House of Representatives, it was still bottled up in a Senate committee when the last Congress adjourned in December.
"While Congress was debating, legislatures in nine states with approximately 40 percent of the U.S. population enacted legislation to streamline cable franchise rules, thereby allowing for new, competing businesses in the market. Also, in March this year, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) weighed in on the topic with revised federal rules to further open the video delivery business to healthy competition.
"As was the case with electricity service in the 1940s, there remain huge pockets of our population that still cannot enjoy and profit from the latest communications technologies, however, public-private partnerships can go a long way toward closing those service gaps and in turn spur economic development, raise the standard of living and improve delivery of educational and medical services."
Thanks to Mr. Howard for his involvement with C4CC. There are many sides to this effort including the legal and financial issues it presents. We can be very proud that once again the Grange is taking a leading role on this very important issue, one that effects all of us in the U.S. and beyond.
