Electronic Byways

by Parker, Edwin B.; Hudson, Heather E.; Dillman, Don A.

• ISBN13: 9780813315928
• ISBN10: 0813315921
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1992-06-08
• Publisher: Westview Pr

Summary

Many rural communities are experiencing an economic decline for which there is no obvious or easy remedy. Concerned community and state government leaders must seek new ways to forestall structural decline and construct a new economic vision for themselves. And, given the dynamics of today's global economy, any plan for economic development must provide links to national and international economies.
In this groundbreaking study, rural development and communications policy scholars explore the role modern rural telecommunications infrastructures can play in facilitating these goals. The authors illustrate the ways advanced telecommunications can, in combination with strategic community development planning, serve as a catalyst for economic growth. In this regard, they provide prescriptive policy recommendations for governors, state legislatures, economic development departments, state telecommunications regulatory commissions, and the telecommunications industry.

Author Biography

John C. Allen is assistant professor of rural sociology at the University of Nebraska. Don A. Dillman is professor of sociology, a rural sociologist, and director of the Social and Economic Sciences Research Center at Washington State University.

Table of Contents

List of Figures, Maps, and Tables
Acknowledgments
Foreword
Executive Summary	p. 1
Goals and Recommendations	p. 15
Introduction	p. 21
Rural America in the Global Economy	p. 25
The U.S. Rural Economy in the 1990s	p. 25
The Process of Rural Development	p. 31
The Role of Telecommunications	p. 35
The Changing Telecommunications Environment	p. 36
State Telecommunications Players and Policies	p. 49
Two Cultures	p. 49
The Players: State Government Involvement in Telecommunications	p. 51
The Role of the State Legislature	p. 52
The Role of the Executive Branch	p. 54
The Role of the State Regulatory Commissions	p. 61
Regulatory Policies	p. 67
A Growing Role for the Telephone Companies	p. 77
Conclusions	p. 79
Rural Development Players: State and Local Initiatives	p. 81
The Culture of Rural Development	p. 81
State and Local Agencies with Links to Rural Development and Telecommunications	p. 82
Telecommunications and Rural Employment	p. 85
Applications for Health Care and Emergency Services	p. 92
Distance Education and Rural Development	p. 94
Bridging the Gap	p. 110
Local Perspectives on Telecommunications and Development: Four Community Studies	p. 113
Background	p. 113
Questions Raised by Earlier Research	p. 114
The Four Communities	p. 117
Strategies for Development at the Local Level	p. 123
The Demand Profile for Rural Telecommunications Services	p. 128
Cultivating the Development Point of View: Policy Implications	p. 132
Rural Telecommunications and Economic Development in Washington State: A Case Study	p. 139
Background	p. 140
The ATandT Divestiture Prompts New Concern	p. 142
Developing a Vision of Rural Telecommunications	p. 145
Refining the Research, Spreading the Word	p. 146
Sustained Momentum for Change	p. 151
Lessons Learned	p. 157
Telecommunications and Rural Development: Quantitative Analyses	p. 161
Why Quantitative Analysis?	p. 161
Gaps in Earlier Research	p. 162
National Time Series Data	p. 164
The Data from the Pacific Northwest	p. 166
The Telecommunications Connection	p. 181
Building Electronic Byways: Goals and Recommendations	p. 183
The Vision	p. 183
Recommendations for State Governors and Legislators	p. 186
Goals and Recommendations for Development Agencies	p. 193
Goals and Recommendations for State Regulatory Commissions	p. 198
Recommendations for Telecommunications Providers	p. 224
How Can These Recommendations Be Paid For?	p. 229
Appendix A: Trends in Upgrading the Rural Telecommunications Infrastructure	p. 231
Appendix B: U.S. Rural Telecommunications: Organizations and Agencies	p. 239
Appendix C: Oregon and Washington County Data	p. 257
Appendix D: State Telecommunications Infrastructure Measures	p. 263
Glossary	p. 269
References	p. 281
Index	p. 291
Table of Contents provided by Blackwell. All Rights Reserved.