Will the “information highway” serve the majority of Prairie farmers, their families, and their communities? Or will it be a service limited to urban residents and the rich?
That’s not just an academic question. Access to the rapidly-approaching information systems of the future could do much to improve a farm’s bottom line. Benefits could include timelier and more comprehensive market information, convenient access to a giant but easily-searchable library of practical production information, and the ability to share tips with fellow farmers across the continent.
But that’s only part of the story. That same information highway could make it possible for more members of rural families to find jobs in or near their home towns, as “telecommuting” spreads.
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And the new information technology could do much for rural schools, permitting even small classes to tap into a wealth of expertise and stimulating educational resources. That could spare some farm children the prospect of a two-hour bus ride to a distant consolidated school.
Those benefits, however, would come only if the information highway is accessible and affordable in rural areas. It’s accessible now, but in the vast majority of cases farmers would have to pay long-distance telephone charges to tap into it.
Removing the obstacle of long-distance charges, however, doesn’t have to involve some type of urban subsidy to farmers. For one thing, many of the communication links (voice, fax or computer) are two-way. Many urban businesses depend on rural customers. There’s also a large federal-provincial agricultural extension establishment that could probably get information to agricultural producers more efficiently via enhanced telecommunications.
Another consideration is that new satellite communications technology may soon make it as easy to connect to an isolated farmhouse as to a high-rise apartment.
With the trend away from telephone monopolies, there could be many innovative new ways to bring communications services to farmhouses without stringing 20 miles of new wire.
Right now, governments everywhere are scrambling to develop telecommunications policies and programs. These will determine how rate structures are designed, what areas get access in what order, and what types of services are offered.
Farm and rural groups should do their best to ensure their interests are considered as policies are developed. If they don’t speak up or, better yet, have their organizations participate in development projects, who will?
