House OKS study on WiMax Internet technology

By GINA SMITH - gnsmith@thestate.com

A fight is looming over whether South Carolina should become the first state to adopt the next generation of broadband communication — and who should have access if it does.

WiMax would allow extremely fast connection to the Internet from anywhere in the state and access to never-before-seen interactive tools.

House lawmakers voted Thursday to appoint a panel of seven tech experts from the private sector to study the options and make recommendations to the State Budget and Control Board.

WiMax technology is wireless, interactive and about 10 times faster than current wireless broadband. And because of its broad reach, it could bring wireless Internet and an array of new interactive tools to every S.C. home, school and business, even those in rural areas.

Some lawmakers say only rural South Carolina and schools should get access to WiMax, which proponents say is superior to all other broadband available.

Others want it available to everyone — businesses, first responders like EMS and police, regular Joes — for an affordable rate.

And some think the technology is too new, that the state would be taking a huge risk with such a network.

“I believe in the private sector, and I’m philosophically opposed to anything that will provide Internet access for free other than at schools,” said Rep. Harry Cato, R-Greenville. As vice chairman of the State Regulation of Public Utilities Review Committee, Cato will choose one of the appointees to the new panel.

Backers of the network envision schoolchildren, researchers and businesses reaping the benefits of South Carolina’s becoming the first state to cover every square inch with this new broadband technology.

But some lawmakers object to such grand plans.

They are concerned such a network will put the state in competition with telecommunications companies that sell Internet access. They want to limit the new technology to schools and rural areas that don’t have Internet access.

“If we’re going to go down that road (of giving away services), we should give away water and electricity, those types of basic needs, before Internet access,” Cato said.

House Speaker Bobby Harrell, R-Charleston, who also will appoint a member to the commission, said he, too, opposes competing with the private sector.

He said Thursday he favors a network that provides Internet and other technologies in rural areas that do not have access now and in all S.C. schools.

Telecommunications companies have said they are not opposed to a new network so long as the state ensures a level playing field for telecommunications companies to compete.

“Competition is the lifeblood of this state and the economy,” said Martha Scott Smith, spokeswoman for AT&T. “And we welcome the competition this bill would create to benefit South Carolina consumers.”

That means cheaper Internet, provided by the state, likely would be viewed as unfair.

Rep. Dwight Loftis, R-Greenville, said he would like to see the new technology made available to S.C. residents — not just those in rural areas — for an affordable fee. He notes many South Carolinians do not have access now because of limited access and price.

More than 90 percent of S.C. households have access to broadband technology, according to the national nonprofit group Connected Nation.

More than 40 percent of S.C. homes are using broadband via cable or DSL, according to an estimate provided to a broadband study committee last year.

Loftis said that figure is too high and that far fewer South Carolinians are plugged into the Internet. One of the problems, he said, is price.

“We are moving into an arena where (Internet access) is going to be as necessary as telephones,” Loftis said. “We could make it affordable for everyone.”

A decision on what to do has to be made by January, a deadline lawmakers say they can hit.

Whether to build a network is an issue now because federal guidelines require South Carolina’s ETV to convert its analog spectrum to a digital one. The transition will free up 90 percent of ETV’s broadcasting capacity for other uses.

That capacity is owned by the state. It’s up to lawmakers to choose what to do with it. The state could lease the extra capacity to a private telecommunications company that would build a network and pay the state rent.

Reach Smith at (803) 771-8658.