Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health Joins Coalition Calling for Greater Broadband Access in Rural Areas
Rapid technological change is transforming industries globally, leading to new and more convenient services for consumers. Companies are racing to harness the power of digital technologies, such as artificial intelligence, facial-recognition software and data analytics, to solve long-standing problems.
Boehringer Ingelheim has been at the forefront of this digital revolution when it comes to animal health. It offers tools such as Farmera, a digital platform supported by a mobile app that gives farmers and others access to real-time data about the pigs on their farms. Farmera can display information from the SoundTalks tool, which uses a digital recorder and an algorithm to detect respiratory illnesses in swine. Another Boehringer Ingelheim digital tool, PetPro Connect, connects veterinarians and pet owners.
Yet more than 18 million people in the U.S. lack reliable high-speed internet access, according to the Federal Communications Commission's latest Broadband Deployment Report. Some experts believe the number could be twice that or more. People in rural areas feel this lack of access most severely, including farmers, ranchers and many large animal veterinarians. The FCC estimates that one in four people lack reliable connectivity in these areas. Furthermore, COVID-19 has exacerbated the effects of the digital divide, as social distancing requires more Americans to carry out many work, education, and medical and veterinary appointments online.
To help bridge this digital divide, Boehringer Ingelheim recently joined more than 100 other organizations in the American Connection Project Broadband Coalition to advocate for federal investment in broadband infrastructure. As the digital revolution changes animal health, reliable connectivity is necessary to provide digital solutions and telemedicine to the pet owners, veterinarians, and farmers and ranchers we work with every day.
As one of the largest animal health businesses in the world, we believe we have a responsibility to advocate for continued innovation. We are proud to advocate for better connectivity in the rural communities where so many of our customers and employees live and work.