FCC member touts broadband

Mignon Clyburn, a former Charleston newspaper publisher, returned this week to talk about the future of communication on a much broader scale. Her mission is to help bring high-speed Internet to everyone.

A daughter of U.S. House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn, she is one of five members of the Federal Communications Commission, the government agency that regulates interstate and international radio, television, wire, satellite and cable communication.

She was confirmed in her new position in July, and she wasted little time trying to strengthen the tie between the agency and her Lowcountry home.

At her urging, she and fellow commissioner Michael Copps held hearings in Ravenel and Charleston to hear what Lowcountry residents had to say about the promise of -- and obstacles to -- increasing public access to broadband, a high-speed Internet connection.

"Charleston County to me embodies the challenges and opportunities for all of us," she said, noting that it has quiet rural areas, as well as an international economic hub. "I'm not sure what we're hearing here is that different, but the flavor here is just so wonderful."

With a budding reputation as the FCC's "people commissioner," Clyburn also visited the Medical University of South Carolina along with Copps and saw how it's practicing "telemedicine."

MUSC neurologist Dr. Robert Adams told them that on Monday night, a 52-year-old man showed up at a Kingstree hospital with signs of having suffered a stroke.

Thanks to a new MUSC outreach effort, the man's doctor at the rural hospital was able to confer and share his records online with specialists at MUSC.

For a brief critical moment, both sets of doctors used the Web to make decisions that would give him the best chance of survival with minimal brain damage.

But that's just one example of how the Internet can improve medical care, particularly in rural areas where there are fewer medical experts.

MUSC Ob/Gyn Dr. Chris Robinson said rural women with high-risk pregnancies are consulting with MUSC doctors through an Internet video connection in Beaufort and Florence. Many likely are getting expert advice that they otherwise wouldn't get without driving to Charleston -- a day-long trip that most don't want to make.

"Every patient was offered the choice between telemedicine and coming to Charleston," he said. "No one chose to come to Charleston."

But what brought Clyburn and Copps to the Lowcountry wasn't simply a chance to hear these sorts of Internet success stories but to figure out what the federal government should do to make more such stories possible.

Clyburn is no stranger to regulatory groups. Her 14-year newspaper career ended in 1998, when state lawmakers elected her to represent her father's 6th Congressional District on the Public Service Commission of South Carolina, which regulates the state's utilities.

Her main thrust here was to get feedback on the FCC's new efforts to address affordability and accessibility of broadband across the country while also educating people about the Internet's value. Its plan is due in February.

Copps said the plan also will address how fast broadband service should be, whether there should be one standard for rural and urban areas, how to encourage the public to use it and how the system should change over time as technology continues to improve. It also will address the cost to taxpayers.

"The public sector can't do it alone, but the private sector can't do it alone either," he said. "This is a major challenge. We can get it right. ... We could get it wrong."

As for Internet access, the commission learned that the vast majority of South Carolinians have access to high-speed Internet but many choose not to subscribe, partly because of the monthly costs.

"That's what we heard last night," Copps said. "People said, 'It sounds great. We want this stuff, but we can't afford it. Don't talk to me about $40 a month. We're trying to put food on the table.' "

Tuesday morning's hearing at Trident Technical College's downtown Charleston campus featured several local and regional experts who talked about the importance of spreading broadband access and the lessons learned from such efforts so far.

Otha Meadows of the Charleston Trident Urban League said extending broadband technology is important, "but letting individuals know how to use it also is important."

Others said some need more than Internet access, they also need help getting the computers and software to hook up to it. The growing importance of the Internet also emphasizes the need to improve literacy rates.

Not everyone who showed up Tuesday was primarily concerned about the broadband issue. The group Patriots of Charleston, a conservative coalition that's part of the new Tea Party movement, sent out an e-mail before the hearing urging its members to press Clyburn and Copps on the Fairness Doctrine.

That federal rule lays out how those holding radio and television licenses should present public issues in a way that's balanced.

James Davis, a Charleston commercial real estate agent, did not get to ask a question but later said he is concerned about the FCC's new localism policy designed to increase the diversity of local radio station ownership.

"The FCC will now drive programming in local communities," he said. "Some of us don't think that's exactly right."

Clyburn wasn't the only commissioner returning home this week. Copps, who grew up in the Upstate, also worked for years as chief of staff for former U.S. Sen. Fritz Hollings, D-S.C., who showed up Tuesday at the hearing to listen in.

In his brief remarks, Hollings said he was encouraged that President Barack Obama and Congress were working on a plan to extend broadband across the nation.

"Broadband is not just for the Boeing plants and the Navy Yard," Hollings said. "It's for all users."

Reach Robert Behre at rbehre@postandcourier.com or 937-5771.