Two well known figures push for Iowa internet access

Two “politically-connected” easterners are in Iowa today, talking about regulations which prevent Iowans from getting high-speed connections to the Internet. Susan Molinari is a former republican Congresswoman from New York who’s a spokeswoman for i-Advance, a group which touts changes in federal restrictions on data transmission.Molinari says federal rules on what companies may distribute data prevent true competition — and mean only urban America is getting the high-speed data “hubs” necessary for “real-time” computer transactions. Molinari urges Iowans to pigeon-hole politicians on the issue.Molinari says Iowa now has just three hubs to provide high-speed, “real time” Internet access. That puts Iowa among the states in what Molinari terms the “Disconnected Dozen.”Molinari is traveling the state with Mike McCurry, president Clinton’s former press secretary.