Pandemic illuminated NC broadband issues. This survey is a first step toward a fix.
Welcome to NC Voices, where leaders, readers and experts from across North Carolina can speak on issues affecting our communities. Send submissions of 300 words or fewer to opinion@charlotteobserver.com.
Broadband is critical in NC
More than 500,000 North Carolinians don’t have access to broadband because of a lack of population density or because geographic barriers prevent internet service providers from connecting to them.
The pandemic has shone a bright light on just how important broadband is for those trying to work remotely, learn, visit with healthcare providers, and connect with family and friends.
It has become clear that broadband is not a luxury. It is critical infrastructure.
As we continue to recover from the pandemic, expanding affordable, high-speed internet across the state and removing barriers is more urgent than ever.
The state’s investments in broadband must address infrastructure, affordability, equitable distribution and digital literacy. That is why we need to gather better data on who is and isn’t being served.
Insufficient coverage data hinders efforts to expand broadband. Right now, service is reported to the FCC by census block, which means that if one address within a census block has high-speed internet service, the entire block is considered to be served. That leads to over-reported coverage and inaccurate data for funding decisions.
Here’s where you come in.
To build an accurate picture of broadband access, quality and availability, we have designed a 5-minute survey, available at ncbroadband.gov/survey. We encourage every household and business to take it — regardless of quality of access.
It’s available in English and Spanish and can be taken online or by phone or text. Residents who need to call can either text “internet” to 919-750-0553 or call and answer a few short questions.
Providing broadband access to all North Carolinians is an urgent task. This data will give us a clearer picture of what your internet is really like. Please take the survey today.
Jim Weaver
Secretary and State Chief Information Officer
The fallacy of pro sports
During a 2015 radio interview on Marketplace, sports economist Michael Leeds was asked: “Are pro sports teams economic winners for cities?” His answer: “If every sports team in Chicago were to suddenly disappear, the impact on the Chicago economy would be a fraction of 1 percent. A baseball team has about the same impact on a community as a midsize department store.”
The elected leaders of Charlotte and the surrounding area should heed Leeds’ words instead of those by Carolina Panthers team owner David Tepper, who says he’s counting on support to partially fund a new uptown stadium.
Tepper has a net worth of $14.5 billion. He also is the owner of the new Major League Soccer franchise — a franchise the Charlotte City Council committed $110 million from tourism revenues to help land.
And S.C. Sen. Lindsey Graham has promised $34.6 million in federal funds to build the I-77 entrance and exit ramps to the new Carolina Panthers practice complex in South Carolina.
In early June, Tepper reiterated that he would not build a new stadium by himself, but he would not force it on the public either. Instead, he suggested it’s possible he could support one-third of the cost, one third might come from public monies, and another third from future PSL owners. He said he’d wait on the public to decide if it wanted a new stadium in Charlotte, Rock Hill or wherever.
A major league sports complex and its teams do not feed the food deprived. They do not provide adequate housing, educate children, or fill the needs of Charlotte.
Sure, flashy donations are made, but the day-to-day substance needed for a safe, clean and vibrant society is not provided by such hype from a professional team. Disenfranchised citizens are not helped, but tax coffers are used to help a billionaire.
We need to hear and heed the words of Leeds and others like him, not the words of Tepper.
Roger Barbee, Mooresville
