Guest
Commentaries:
Telecomm
technology should be priority
By Brent Hales
Rural communities are finding it increasingly difficult
to compete with larger, more technologically advanced communities
in an era of rural disinvestment. In order to keep up, rural
communities must participate in the transition to an information-intensive
society. Future vitality depends at least partly on maintaining
technological currency. Communities that lack the physical
infrastructure to embrace technological developments are
unlikely to be able to capitalize on current or future technological
advancements. Rapid changes in the telecommunications industry
intensify the need for rural communities to include telecommunications
in their development programs. Instant global communication
capabilities reduce the isolation of rural communities and
enhance their economic strength by providing technology
driven jobs and by increasing the availability of outside
resources and expertise.
For telecommunications technologies to be effective economic
development tools there must be strong local community capacity
and open lines of communication for cooperation in delivery
of services and utilization of the technologies. Generating
local initiatives and collaboration for productive use of
telecommunications is a critical role that local leaders
can play, especially leaders with direct responsibility
for local development. It is often the leaders’ adoption
of telecommunications technologies that affect the ability
of rural communities to harness the potential of these technological
advancements. If infrastructures are not laid and the leaders
do not adopt or support these technologies, it also is less
likely that rural communities will adopt these technologies
for wider community use.
According to the Southern Policies Growth Board, with nearly
75% of Southern households lacking access to the Internet,
the South leads the nation in digitally disadvantaged citizens.
Residents of Mississippi are the least likely of all Southerners
to be connected to the Internet. Less than 26% of Mississippi
households have computers and less than 14% have Internet
access. These figures are likely a function of lack of knowledge
about the available infrastructure and the social and/or
structural barriers to adoption.
The Delta region is one of the least served areas in the
country. As a result, there are numerous opportunities for
growth and development. Companies such as Air-2-Lan, Bell
South, Cable One, and Dixie-Net are beginning to address
the need for broadband services in the Delta. However, much
of the Delta remains underserved. The Mississippi Delta
Technology Council (MDTC) was recently formed as a voice
of change in the Delta. The mission of the MDTC is to enhance
the strengths of the Delta by promoting, celebrating, and
leveraging successful applications of technology. This partnership
brings together entities from agriculture, economic development,
education, government, health care, and telecommunications
to work cooperatively on the Delta’s technological
development. For more information on the Council or on becoming
and member of the Council, please contact me at the Delta
State University Center for Community Development at (662)
846-4339 or through email at bhales@deltastate.edu. DBJ
(Brent
D. Hales, Ph.D., Delta State University, serves as the Director
of the Center for Community Development and as an Assistant
Professor of Sociology and Community Development. Dr. Hales’
primary area of research since 1996 has been the examination,
promotion, and community adoption of telecommunication technologies
into the community’s economic development plans and
practices. To this end, he has developed questionnaires,
conducted needs assessments, held conferences and workshops,
and worked with service and application providers, community
leaders, and businesses to meet the needs of the communities
at their levels. He also recently spearheaded the development
of the Mississippi Delta Technology Council, a collaborative
project between public and private entities actively using
technology in their business, development, or educational
activities. He was also recently honored as a Distinguished
Young Scholar by Trinity College of Hartford, Connecticut.
He received a B.S. from Brigham Young University, an M.A.
from Middle Tennessee State University, and a Ph.D. from
Iowa State University. He has five children, Zachary, Matthew,
Gabriella, Luther, and Samuel, and has been married to Candy
Smith Hales for 10 years. He enjoys sports of any variety,
the outdoors, and spending time with family and friends.)
