South Dakota: The digital desert

Add South Dakota to the list of places on the wrong side the digital divide.

It's not just individual South Dakotans--even state universities and research centers cannot connect to a national high-speed network called Internet 3:

Money and geography are among the reasons South Dakotans don't have access to the network.

But the state stands to lose millions of dollars in research funding -- and face challenges recruiting scientists and others to the region -- if the network doesn't tie in to universities and research centers here, experts say.

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South Dakota has been left in a digital desert of sorts, bypassed by a national network with 14 regional connections across the country and Canada.

The hurdles of money and geography should be familiar to anyone living in a sparsely populated area. Telecommunications companies have little profit motive to build infrastructure in these out-of-the-way regions. That's where incentives and public-private partnerships are essential.

Fortunately for South Dakotans, the Great Plains Education Foundation has pledged $8 million to cover the one-time cost of connecting the state into the national network. In return, the state must pay $1.7 million each year for operating costs.

The proposed path of the connection starts in Omaha, Nebraska, and zig-zags for hundreds of miles up through South Dakota. It's a huge project, but it's getting done because South Dakotans realize the importance of high speed internet access.

Seeking a faster link to the world (The Argus Leader)