Software giant Microsoft is part of the Connect Americans Now coalition, which has “a plan to eliminate the digital divide by 2022” by persuading the FCC and other regulators to set aside low-band spectrum across the country to provide a broadband connection for everyone. Some 23 million rural Americans lack broadband access, two-thirds of the U.S. total.
The alliance, whose members include rural groups and technology companies, says it would employ “unused but powerful bandwidth below the 700 MHz frequency range, also known as TV white spaces, made available on an unlicensed basis. Wireless signals in this range can travel over hills and through buildings and trees and therefore are great for last mile broadband access in rural areas. From education to telemedicine and precision agriculture to business development, closing the digital divide could transform the lives and livelihoods of rural Americans from all walks of life.”
The media site Axios said, “Microsoft has been at the forefront of this push and has invested in a series of pilot projects designed to serve as catalysts for widespread adoption across [the] rural market.” The “white spaces” approach would be less expensive than laying fiber optic cable. Microsoft, which last summer announced the goal of closing the rural digital divide, will provide staffing and some financial resources to the coalition as needed, a senior executive told Axios.