Including agriculture in the broadband plan

Published: September 1, 2011

Hannah Douglas at the Illinois Times reported:

Illinois farmers have been taking a new approach to managing their crops, with a little innovation and a little assistance from their cell phones.

New mobile technology, plus the effort to make broadband coverage more available in rural areas by the National Broadband Plan of the Federal Communications Commission, is reshaping the technology scene in Illinois. However, the changes to Illinois agriculture practices have received little attention when it comes to planning the future of broadband.

Bob Flider, broadband impact director at Partnership for a Connected Illinois, a nonprofit association created by the Illinois General Assembly, says the broadband plan should include the agricultural industry in the broadband conversation, especially within Illinois.

“When you think about rural America, rural Illinois … you think about agriculture,” Flider says.

Click here to read the full article in the Illinois Times.