By RACHEL LANE

D.C. Correspondent

WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Donald Trump signed two orders designed to improve rural broadband access in the United States.

The two items, an executive order and a presidential memorandum, will give private companies easier access to government property and the same form to fill out for all government agencies. The move will have limited access, but it’s a start, said RJ Karney, director of Congressional relations with the American Farm Bureau.

It is a problem that will not have one solution. Almost 40 percent of rural America lacks broadband speed, while about 5 percent still use dial-up, Karney said. In urban areas, only about 4 percent of the population lack access to broadband speeds, defined by the Federal Communications Commission as 25 megabytes download speed and 3 MG upload speed.

Karney said it is a huge digital divide that impacts businesses, hospitals, students and families in rural America. If a farmer needs to see a doctor or a specialist for medical care, hours of driving might be required to reach one. If broadband services were available, telemedicine would be an alternative.

As for farms and other businesses, he said broadband has become critical infrastructure – the equivalent of roads, highways, railways or waterways.

“As farmers and ranchers continue to try to feed a growing world population, they’re trying to ship food, fuel and fiber internationally. Broadband allows them to connect to global markets,” he explained. “Farmers and ranchers are business owners … we’re not going to ask any other business to operate without internet access.”

With broadband access, farmers can use more technology that would help save money, make money and protect the environment. Farmers could pinpoint which parts of fields need to receive more or less water, for instance. It would help attract and keep young people in the communities; they want to be able to find good jobs, provide medical care for their parents and give children a good education, he added.

Jannine Miller, senior advisor for infrastructure at the USDA, said the biggest issue regarding broadband in rural America regards opportunity lost.

“A real quality of life and modernization of rural America – that’s what we’re seeking,” she said. “More access to markets is also what we’re seeking for small businesses in rural areas.”

Farmers aren’t able to fully use their equipment. It’s less economical because broadband access can impact feed, water for livestock and irrigation. The information can be downloaded to computers to be studied, and better decisions made in the future regarding each season.

Telemedicine would provide greater access to health care as well as experts who may be thousands of miles away from the patient.

The USDA reports about 21 percent of schools in rural communities don’t have broadband access. In rural schools, a limited number of classes are available for students – with broadband, a student could take online classes in any subject, at any difficulty level, and access the tools their local schools can’t access.

With more businesses allowing employees to work from home, someone in rural America with access to broadband could work with a company to far away for a daily “commute.”

Miller said the impact of the executive order and presidential memorandum can’t be determined. It is designed to assist the private sector. While the government has been trying to provide the money for broadband access across America, the private sector has more funds available, she explained.

“This is a very complex industry (problem). It’s going to take a different approach than we’ve done in the past.”

Barriers in the way, such as regulations, need to be removed. The process needs to be streamlined and faster.

“This is a priority for rural America,” she said. “We hear it everywhere we go … There are all sorts of things that need to be done for rural economies, but always, the need for broadband is there.”

The orders signed by Trump were the result of a Rural Task Force Initiative started in April 2017. The results of the six months of research were sent to him in October.