(4/2022) Perhaps the biggest lesson learned from the pandemic is how Internet connectivity has become a basic need for residents and businesses. If you have fast reliable connectivity, it’s not something you think about every day. If you don’t, it’s a daily barrier. The future economic growth of Frederick County is dependent on continuing advancements in broadband infrastructure and Wi-Fi capabilities. These technologies accelerate our local economy, attract businesses to the county, and help solve education access and transportation congestion issues.

I will do everything I can as your council member to make sure rural areas receive fast and reliable connectivity for several reasons. Local emergency and other essential communications are increasingly reliant on dedicated Internet connectivity to keep the public informed and safe. Dedicated connectivity in rural areas opens opportunities that already exist in other parts of Frederick County, such as telecommuting or starting a home-based business. As we move beyond the pandemic and remote learning is no longer required, rural students still need reliable connection like students who live closer the City of Frederick have.

However, even when closer to the city, residents struggle to afford private access to the Internet and rely on public sources of Wi-Fi, using mobile smartphones. This problem is made worse if the device being used is older. As older cellular networks are phased out, many county residents could be left without any Internet access, and not knowing what to do. As Internet connectivity has become so crucial to daily life and public safety that we consider it a utility like electricity and clean water, county government should be making it a priority, and I will work to find ways to close these connectivity gaps.

Frederick County has begun to address this issue. The county completed a Rural Broadband Study in 2020 that clearly identified the county’s challenges with rural broadband completion. This was an important first step. Since technology usually moves faster than government, as a member of the County Council, I will advocate for public/private partnerships with Internet Service Providers to expand all sources of Internet connectivity. There is not one solution that fits all areas and various needs in the county.

Frederick County should not provide Internet service as a utility like water service. But the county should lead the overall effort to coordinate the commercial and residential expansion of high-speed connectivity as a part of regular county planning. Many other counties have staff or offices specifically dedicated to working on county connectivity. I support this initiative because this issue is vital to the immediate and long-term needs of the people and the county's growing technological economy.

I hope you’re seeing common idea in the articles I’ve written. Investments in education, transportation, and connectivity will open opportunities for all residents in Frederick County. Business opportunities open when skilled employees are locally available and can easily get to work. The local economy grows when small business owners can open a successful business anywhere in the county. On the council, I will continue to look for ways where I can help to create opportunities for everyone in Frederick County.

Read other campaign articles by Renee Knapp