‘New Economy’ Demands High-Speed Internet Access for All

An economic network is only as strong as its weakest link. If Ventura County is going to keep up with the so-called new economy, it needs to fight for high-speed Internet access for all of its constituents, not just some of them.

But what if that’s not profitable for a telecom or cable contractor to provide? What difference does it make if 8,000 people in Ojai or 13,000 in Fillmore have to wait years for the high-tech access available to hundreds of thousands of other Ventura County residents? Is that enough people to risk lowering a service provider’s lucrative profit margin?

Until recently, telecom and cable providers serving these small communities had decided that a few people in Ojai and Fillmore going without the best in digital services was a sacrifice their companies were willing to make. But obviously, it’s not really the companies that are making this sacrifice. It’s the small businesses and start-ups in Ojai and Fillmore that are losing a critical window of opportunity to stay competitive in the world of e-commerce.

Those affected by this shutout include youth programs, schools, online retail sites and an entire network of local real estate brokers dependent on fast Internet connections to transact business.

Does this theme sound a little too familiar: the quest for profits at any cost versus notions of community service and equal opportunity? How about the story of privileged monopolies conveniently forgetting that they’re accountable to customers as well as stockholders?

Connectivity is pivotal in the communications and cable industries and is meant to provide a critical stimulus for economic innovation and community prosperity. It requires an unbroken high-speed network offering everyone an opportunity to bring goods and services to market with competitive speed and affordable service charges. No one should be left out.

If an economic network is only as strong as its weakest link, then everyone matters in bringing a community such as Ventura County into the digital age.

In recent years, we have been bombarded with advertising and news reports about the birth of a high-tech economy and the strategic importance of having high-speed Internet access to be a part of it. A long list of advertisers is doing all it can to warn us that no one can afford to be left behind without connectivity.

The problem for these companies is that their ad campaigns may have worked a little too well. If this high-speed service is so crucial for staying in business, how can they justify offering it to only some of their customers?

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Many people in Ojai and Fillmore are fairly well convinced that the premise of these ads is accurate and that being left behind would indeed be a bad thing. But what are they supposed to do about it?

In Ojai, many residents have pleaded with Pacific Bell for the service, even submitting a petition. But the company will not provide it any time soon.

This has given rival Sprint an opportunity to come in as the hero. Unfortunately, its offer at $119 to $149 a month with a two-line minimum, leaves Ojai and Fillmore firms at a disadvantage to competitors paying $39.95 a month elsewhere.

There are many Ojai businesses eager for high-speed access. Some, such as www.Lynda.com, a provider of training for Web developers and designers, have resorted to high-speed T1 telephone lines and other solutions. The added cost of these custom connections puts Ojai businesses at a profound disadvantage to Ventura businesses that enjoy DSL services at a fraction of the cost.

So far, the answer has been to be patient.

In another six months, a year, two years maybe, even the little “backward” communities such as Ojai and Fillmore will get to enjoy the advantages their larger neighbors do now. Pacific Bell has promised that some type of high-speed access will be made available within five years. Five years? Suppose Pacific Bell was denied a crucial technology that each of its competitors had. Would it remain calm and philosophical for five years?

How about Adelphia? Would the cable giant sit back and say, “Oh well, if it’s not profitable for you to give me the same advantage you’re offering competitors, I’ll just wait calmly until you get around to it.”

More likely than not, the company would go straight to the state Public Utilities Commission or Federal Trade Commission with complaints about restraint of trade or unfair practices in the marketplace.

The question many of the residents of Ojai and Fillmore are asking is: Why shouldn’t we as well?