Pend Oreille County receives $27 million for broadband boost

Pend Oreille County, Washington recently received more than $27 million from the stimulus funds generated through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to improve broadband speed and access in the Northeast corner of the state. The largely rural segment of the state has only eight people per square mile, according to the United States Census Bureau.The improvements to Pend Oreille's broadband infrastructure will improve access throughout the county, and provide broadband to 3,200 of its 12,000 residents for the first time. Improving access to schools is another goal of the grant. In rural communities, the demand is not as high as it is in suburban and urban communities, but it is the policy of the Obama administration that all schools in the U.S. have reliable broadband access."This investment will connect Pend Oreille families and small business owners to the critical broadband services already available in cities and towns across the country," Senator Patty Murray said.Washington's state government received funding from the ARRA earlier this month, but the improvement efforts in more rural parts of the state require further funding and infrastructure development to bring adequate broadband speed to the entire population.

Broadband in Brazil still slow and expensive

When compared to other developing countries like Turkey and Mexico, broadband access in Brazil is among the slowest and most expensive in the world, according to Bernama.com. Brazilians with internet access spent nine times as much as people in developed countries for their connection.In countries like the United States, households spend roughly 0.5 percent of their yearly income on broadband speed. Meanwhile, Brazilians spend 4.6 percent of their income on a connection that is far slower and less reliable. In other developing countries, there are widespread initiatives underway to improve access, while there is nothing in place or planned to improve speed.Poor broadband speed is one thing, but worse access has compounded problems in Brazil. The news provider reports that 21 percent of households, or roughly 12 million people, have access to reliable broadband. Income gaps demonstrate that broadband access is still a luxury in the nation. In households that make at least 20 times the minimum wage, or $5,862 per month, 83.5 percent have reliable broadband speed.While numbers are still low in Brazil, the South American continent has experienced massive growth in the last 10 years. According to World Internet Stats, internet access on the continent has grown 935 percent since 2000.

Feds planning to shift telephone tax to broadband

Part of the Federal Communications Commission's National Broadband Plan, which chairman Julius Genachowski announced on March 17, calls for a 15 percent tax currently levied on telephone service to be shifted to broadband, according to KATU.com. The move is reportedly to encourage broadband access in rural areas.Opponents of the tax worry that the federal government would use the funds raised by the taxes on programs other than providing rural Americans with access to reliable broadband speed. However, those who support the tax point to the telephone tax, which was used to help bring service to rural Americans in the 20th century."I think it's part of a greater cause," Monmouth, Oregon city manager Scott McClure told the news provider. "That's how we did phone service. That's how phone service was taken care of in this country - through the universal service fund: People pay a little bit more to help the rural areas."The original purpose of the Federal Excise Tax on telephone service was to fund the Spanish-American War in 1898. However, as the telephone became a vital part of the American personal and enterprise culture, the government redirected the funds to improve access throughout the country, according to the New York Times.