Reaching all the nooks and crannies

Some people don't like change, but don't count Charles "Bubba" Weir among them, especially when it comes to Internet access.

Since the unveiling of the so-called National Broadband Plan by the Obama administration last March, steps are slowly being taken toward the plan's goal of providing 100 million American households with more accessible and faster Internet connections by 2020.

Weir, who is vice president for innovative resources development for the Mississippi Technology Alliance (MTA), says the selling of the plan will come from grassroots efforts in small-town USA.

The MTA is a non-profit organization devoted to enhancing technology-based development in the state of Mississippi.

"The FCC and NTIA have to be involved in managing spectrum, but I think it has to be a culture of champions, everyday people who champion the plan and drive the movement," he said.

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration announced in November that 115 MHz of spectrum will be allocated for wireless broadband spectrum within five years. According to the federal government, the initiative will spur investment, economic growth and job creation while supporting the growing demand by consumers for wireless broadband.

On the state level, the Mississippi Development Authority is working closely with stakeholders to plan for the anticipated expansion of broadband capabilities. Gov. Haley Barbour created the Mississippi Broadband Task Force in 2009 to coordinate strategic efforts on broadband Internet policy.

Additionally, the state received funds last September to develop the Mississippi Broadband Connect Coalition, a non-profit public-private partnership focused on producing a comprehensive plan for improving digital literacy, increasing access to broadband and enabling greater adoption of broadband service.

MDA chief executive officer Manning Phillips says the task force and coalition are examples of the state's commitment to catching up with the rest of the nation in terms of technological advancement.

"We want to identify where do we have broadband in the state and secondly, our task is to get stakeholders from around the state to the table and come up with an action plan," he said.

Is the Internet a luxury or a necessity, Phillips is asked.

"We're moving more and more towards it being a necessity," he said.

Weir agrees with Phillips.

"I think it's a necessity, but people have to see the personal benefit," Weir said. "Today, technology is not a luxury. From small business to Mississippi Delta farmers to state and national governments, all use technology to be competitive."

But change comes slowly for some, says Weir.

"We did some studies that revealed less than 10 percent of residents in the Delta actually go online and retrieve medical information," he said. "But according to a national survey, approximately 65 percent of the U.S. population accessed medical information online.

"Local folks will drive the movement and make the plan doable by 2020."

Despite reports that the NTIA is having budget problems and will ask Congress for an additional $40 million in 2011, the agency continues pushing towards nearly doubling commercial wireless spectrum with the release of two complimentary reports detailing the plan.

The NTIA developed the Ten-Year Plan and Timetable in response to last June's report that directed the Department of Commerce to collaborate with the PCC to make available a total of 500 megahertz of federal and non-federal spectrum over the next decade for mobile and fixed wireless broadband use.