Writing Homework Help

Introduction/Overview of Discussion Activity:

The purpose of this assignment is to explore selected complex ethical issues related to information access and security in the 21st century. Working within your project teams, address the topic below related to broadband internet access in rural communities in the United States.

Instead of researching your own articles, you will collectively review a collection of provided articles and links related to the digital divide topic and then consider the challenge through multiple stakeholder lenses and collectively develop possible solutions.

Context/Background:

There is a well-documented “digital divide” between rural and urban areas when it comes to broadband access. While significant progress has been made in recent years, the FCC estimates that at least 19 million (~6%) Americans still lack household access to high-speed internet access. Some estimates run higher. The lack of broadband access in rural or low-income urban areas areas is primarily a function of financial disincentives to serve areas with low population density or lower purchasing power. This lack of financial incentives for commercial broadband providers to invest in broadband infrastructure in those areas has remained an impediment to providing more complete availability to all U.S. households. The current COVID-related school-from-home environment has put a bright spotlight on this divide.

Instructions for Activity:

Review the textbook chapter and associated lecture slides on ethics as well as the background information below (augmented with other sources discovered within your discussion group) and then work as a discussion group to come up with perspectives and potential solutions to this challenge.

Background Information (to review):

• Why is broadband access still a problem? (new window)
• FCC Broadband Access Reports (new window)
• Center for Rural Strategies (new window)
• Taxpayer Funded Strategies in Tennessee with Underserved areas (new window)
• [06.28.2021] Ohio Budget Measure Aims To Curtail Some High-Speed Internet Access
• The Digital Divide Among Students During COVID (new window)
• Cities Teaming Up…The FCC is Mad – Wired Magazine, 2018 (new window)

Questions to Consider:

• Who should be responsible for providing broadband access to under-served regions? Should the commercial industry providers be compelled to provide it?
• What role should state governments play in addressing access to broadband internet in under-served regions?
• What are appropriate strategies for financial support of broadband in under-served areas? Federal subsidies to consumers? Federal subsidies to providers?
• What role should rural municipal governments play in addressing broadband access in their communities?
• As part of your response, refer to the Chapter 4 lecture material on ethics and incorporate some of the ideas presented there to justify your position(s).

Sides in this discussion: Pick one side (or possibly both) and argue its merits

• Side A (Telecom industry provider of commercial broadband service)
• Side B (Local community board seeking non-industry solution)

Additional instructions:

• There will be two sets of artifacts that each discussion group will need to provide for this assignment.
  • The first set of artifacts will be individual collaboration and discussion posted as threads, replies, etc. within this discussion topic area. These posts can reflect posted ideas, debates & discussions, or informative research data adding depth or direction to your final conclusions. The purpose of this is to provide indication of individual contribution to the group’s summary report.
  • The second deliverable, is an overall summary (500-600 words) of your group’s conclusions (or positions) on how this need for broadband access should be addressed. This may simply be a A (Telecom) or B (Local) choice – or possibly a mixture of both. Your summary should address at a minimum the questions indicated above and also include any additional sources used in your group’s analysis. Include in the summary document a list of the contributors. This summary should be posted to the Contemporary MIS Issue #2 Team Summary Post (Broadband/Ethics) drop-box folder by the due date for this assignment. Note that this is a group submission and only one should be posted for each discussion group.