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Rural broadband not where it needs to be
Agriculture continues to sound the alarm on rural broadband not being where it needs to be.
During a recent webinar hosted by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, Megan Nelson with American Farm Bureau said farmers need broadband access and access to broadband maps, adding “they can’t have spotty service because there’s a rainy day.”
Ryan Molitor with precision ag company Raven tells Brownfield they are developing backup capabilities for areas with poor connectivity.
“There’s a certain fallback, and then once you get connected again they system would catch up as far as like data, mapping, and different things like that.”
He says Raven provides robust services used to control planters, sprayers, and other wireless technology.
“Our Slingshot platform we kind of compare to the old bag-phones. We have customers that are running in areas where you can’t make a phone call or get a text message, but our Slingshot platform stays connected.”
He says that’s critical, especially when it involves autonomy.
Brownfield spoke to molitor during the 2020 Farm Progress Show near Boone, Iowa.
