Delta Regional Authority Aims to Increase Competitiveness

Region Looks to Broadband Access and IT Usage

The Delta Regional Authority (DRA) lacks the access, awareness and affordability of broadband Internet service – a direct bearing on the region’s ability to participate successfully in the national and global economies, a new report from DRA and the Southern Growth Policies Board finds.

 

DRA and Southern Growth partnered to develop an information technology plan to improve education, enhance entrepreneurship, and improve health care through the use of information technology. The plan was presented to the president and Congress last week. 

 

iDelta: Information Technology in the Delta consists of two volumes. The first provides data for measuring information technology usage and examines the economic factors that lead to technology barriers in the region. For example, more than 15 percent of DRA zip codes do not have a high speed Internet service provider and per capita income for the region is about 20 percent below the U.S. average.

 

The second volume consists of seven proposed actions and recommendations to improve information technology access and usage. Each recommendation outlines a vision statement, a context that explains the rationale for the vision, and examples of model programs. Highlights include:

• The use of Geographic Information Systems to support regional initiatives in health, transportation, economic and community development, homeland security, and disaster pre-event planning and recovery;
• Access to telehealth, the providing of care, education and improved medical practice via advanced telecommunication networks;
• Distance learning for all schools and trained personnel to manage the operations;
• Access to training in computer literacy and workforce skills; and,
• Internet home pages for all local governments that provide information and services.

Central to the plan is the creation of an iDelta Center to act as an organizing entity and assume responsibility for implementing the initiatives. The center would be based upon successful models of state broadband promotion organizations such as ConnectKentucky and eNC.

 

The report also calls for the creation of federal interagency agreements and recommends the iDelta Center partner with federal, state and local governments to leverage private sector involvement.

 

Regional commissions and authorities, including DRA, are dependent on annual federal appropriations, which have decreased over the last few years. The president’s fiscal year 2007 budget recommendation included $5.9 million for DRA, a $6 million decrease from the previous year. This year, funding levels remained steady – $6 million was proposed for DRA in FY08.

 

The Delta Regional Authority serves 240 counties and parishes in Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri and Tennessee. The two-part report is available from DRA at: http://www.dra.gov/programs/information-technology/