"However, none of this is possible without access to a quality high-speed broadband Internet connection," said Jay Maxwell, CEO at Pixius Communications, Wichita, Kan. "While this access is common in urban and suburban areas, it is almost a luxury in rural America. Is it a coincidence that rural America is also an area that is unserved or underserved by medical facilities and practitioners? Rural America is an area with a population that is aging and placing increased demands on scarce healthcare resources."
Maxwell testified in Rapid City, S.D., at a public hearing of the National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services, established to advise the Department of Health and Human Services. In Kansas, he noted, 29% of the population is rural but only 4% of the doctors.
"In South Dakota, the most remote areas of the state are the nine Sioux Indian reservations," Maxwell testified. "The health statistics on the reservations resemble those of a Third World country. The reservations must be a high priority for broadband."
The nation knows where the aging live and where health care resources exist, Maxwell noted. But what isn't accurately known is where quality high-speed broadband Internet service is provided. "Before we can connect the country, we need to know with greater accuracy who currently has coverage," he said. "I urge HHS and all federal departments to work together to determine in greater detail who has service and who needs service." Maxwell's complete testimony is available at scofks.com/RuralBroadbandTestimony.pdf.
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