(Michael Chamberlain/Nevada Business Coalition) – A group of free market proponents is traveling from Nevada to Washington, D.C. to urge Congress not to let rural America fall behind when it comes to broadband Internet.
Broadband WORKS for Rural America is sending the delegation to the nation’s capital during the first week of October “to remind our representatives in Congress of the pressing need to support efforts to expand high-speed Internet access for rural Nevada and other underserved areas around the country.” While in Washington they will be visiting as many members of Congress as possible on October 3 and 4.
The delegation contains people whose names are very familiar to Nevada conservatives. They include Fred Weinberg, publisher of the Elko Independent newspaper and a principle in companies owning 5 rural Nevada radio stations; the Nevada Policy Research Institute’s deputy research director, Geoffrey Lawrence; and Sherman Frederick, owner of Battle Born Media, publisher of several rural newspapers such as the Ely Times, Eureka Sentinel and Mineral County Independent. It will be led by Fely A. Quitevis, President and CEO of Precious Properties Realty Corporation of Nevada in Pahrump.
Broadband WORKS for Rural America is a coalition of various individuals and groups, including local Chambers of Commerce, members of the U.S. Cattlemen’s Association, the National Grange, teachers, farmers, ranchers, small business owners and others. The organization’s goal is “bringing increased access to high-speed Internet to more Americans across the nation, particularly in rural communities.”
Quitevis explains that it’s difficult to persuade people to move to areas that lack broadband technology. “Resources that are important to people when they choose a new home, like quality education and access to healthcare, are significantly improved by the availability of high-speed Internet in rural areas where they may not otherwise be available.”
As Quitevis says, “We have enough ghost towns in Nevada left over from our Wild West days. The last thing we want is to create new economic ghost towns by denying rural Nevada access to high-speed Internet connections.”
(Michael Chamberlain is Executive Director of Nevada Business Coalition.)
