People Have to be Online to Become Cyber Entrepreneurs

An article by Navarrow    View Comments

At the MMTC Broadband and Social Justice Summit, Commissioner Mignon Clyburn, made a passing reference to net neutrality when she discussed how tiered pricing would be a market entry barrier to some online entrepreneurs.  I don’t disagree.  Anything that increases costs for starting and sustaining any business, online or otherwise, is a barrier for new entrepreneurs. However, before we can get people to the point where they start a business online, we have to get them online.

Broadband deployment and adoption are said to be the primary focus of the National Broadband Plan that the FCC will unveil next month.  However in recent weeks, attention has been focused on net neutrality. The six principles set forth by the FCC are worthy of discussion.  As I’ve mentioned before, the two major factions — content providers, like Google, and the major phone and cable companies — both raise legitimate concerns of access and cost.  But I question whether this is the discussion to have at this time.  If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times, we’ve got to get people online and using the technology before we start creating additional reasons to keep them offline.

As Pew reported last year, broadband adoption rates for minorities are increasing, but nowhere near the pace of Whites.  Wireless adoption in minority communities has outpaced that of Whites, but opportunities to start a business from a handheld device are limited. It is no secret that most new businesses start in the garages and spare rooms of our homes.  If we want to truly experience the transformative power of broadband in expanding opportunity for entering the market for minorities, the focus must remain on methods to increase broadband adoption in the home.  

Below is a video where I explain my take the issue and more importantly why entrepreneurship increase among minorities is crucial.