Connecting everyone
Supplying broadband to rural areas is critical
The close- knit community of Stahlstown, Pa., located 50 miles southwest of Pittsburgh in Westmoreland County, has a population of 1,252. The town consists of farmers, small business owners and generations of working class families, nearly all of whom have a cell phone or access to a computer for everyday life. The internet is what keeps this small, rural community connected to the rest of the world. It is critical for people who work remotely, students who complete schoolwork online, farmers who communicate with their suppliers and small business owners who look to attract urban tourists to nearby seasonal resorts. Reliable connectivity is what powers this community, from the local mom- and- pop store to day schools and emergency services.
The technology that this rural community relies on to function is difficult for most network providers to supply. Communities like Stahlstown are often not deemed worthy of the investment of time, effort and resources, primarily due to the fact that they are rarely profitable.
Because of this, even when they are supported by Universal Service Funds from the FCC, rural operators struggle to stay afloat. Budgets are tight, employees are difficult to find and customers are slower to adopt emerging technologies. Remote rural network infrastructure is also serviced and replaced far less frequently than urban networks, meaning operators in these areas must rely on technology that is often outdated. Undeveloped terrains can also present challenges to installing reliable network infrastructure at all.
Though they may face challenges, network vendors for rural operators must remain committed to providing them with consistent and reliable services. One vendor has been a supportive and dependable partner to these communities as they strive to keep pace technologically with the rest of the world: Huawei.
Huawei has a proven track record of providing reliable network services in remote locations, from Montana to Belize and South Africa to villages in rural China. Huawei has been able to supply over 20,000 network nodes of varying types, including over 60 networks in the US, 40 of which are wireless. Additionally, Huawei’s network costs are affordable for these remote network operators, which are often functioning on shoestring budgets. Without Huawei, some of these locations simply would not be served and would be forced to rely solely on equipment that is outdated and underperforming.
After the United States government banned the usage of Huawei technology in the U. S., rural operators are now forced to stall projects and stop using the equipment they rely on to function. The federal government has promised funding to carriers who need to replace Huawei infrastructure, but this would take years, and billions of dollars more than the government has anticipated.
Another issue for these rural providers is that many of the advanced functions and features of Huawei gear are not available, nor supported by other suppliers. A multi- vendor solution will create more complex networks and subsequently costly integrations, costs that rural carriers are already struggling to cover.
Even in the face of a Huawei blacklist, it is outstandingly unfair of the U. S. government to punish these operators for trying to survive and serve the communities that rely on them. Huawei networks are often the only affordable option for rural communities with lean budgets and tricky terrain. They essentially have one choice for broadband services, and it is being taken away.
These rural communities are commonly referred to by U. S. politicians as “the backbone of America.” This is true, not only in an emotional sense, but an economical one. Almost twothirds of land in the U. S. is considered to be rural, and approximately 14% of the U. S. population lives in rural communities. Healthy rural communities are vital to the health of the national U. S. economy; threatening their access to technology threatens their ability to survive and thrive.
When you think of Huawei, don’t think of a massive, foreign corporation that isn’t relevant to people’s day to day lives. Think of the 1,252 people living in Stahlstown and the technology they are relying on every day to function as citizens of the 21st century.