Digital connectivity is taken for granted in many areas, but high-speed internet is still absent in many rural areas throughout the country. Todd Janzen was recently interviewed in Precision Farming Dealer about this issue.
Government initiatives to expand rural broadband appear to be gaining momentum, as the FCC voted in late January to advance a $20 million plan to improve broadband connectivity in underserved rural areas.
The improvements could have short- and longer-term benefits for farmers and precision service providers, says Todd Janzen, attorney with Janzen Ag Law in Indianapolis, especially as automation continues to expand in ag.
“If we’re talking about increased field connectivity, that would be very valuable because we’re hearing and seeing more talk about using artificial intelligence and machine learning on equipment. For that to work, you have to have a good connection to some form of cloud-based process…because your artificial intelligence doesn’t usually just exist on the device. It’s usually connected to some larger mainframe or server where it can combine data and information with other users as well to make decisions.”
