Merger would bring wireless broadband to farms

For the modern rancher or farmer, robust wireless technology quickly is becoming a necessity. We each started in farming well before cellphones became commonplace, much less smartphones, laptops, tablets and the age of “there’s an app for that.” Today’s opportunity to call someone from a combine, a farm building or from town has changed the lives of virtually every farm and ranch family we know. Now, we have the chance to see how high-speed wireless broadband — for voice, video and data services — can deliver social and economic opportunities to rural households, farms, ranches and classrooms, regardless of location. That’s because the proposed merger of AT&T and T-Mobile can help deliver these proposed opportunities. By combining their networks and using T-Mobile’s wireless spectrum, AT&T intends to bring the next generation of wireless broadband to wide areas of the country — including many traditionally rural states such as North Dakota and South Dakota. The expansion enabled by this merger would reach an additional 55 million people who otherwise would not have wireless broadband access...more