In too many minds, cell phones are merely a convenience.

Until they’re not.

When you really need one, all the stereotypes about distracted drivers, useless conversations and “Can you hear me now?” disappear into frantic calls and deep frustration, extending beyond missed conversations into missed opportunities for the state and its residents.

Gov. Baldacci’s initiative, called Connect ME, is a worthy idea. His goal is to bring quality cell phone service to all of Maine’s communities by 2008. But, with limited state resources and a small population spread out over large areas, there’s little financial incentive to cell phone companies to expand their coverage.

The state is littered with dead zones, patches where calls are dropped and phones go dead. Along several significant stretches of Interstate 95, the dead zones connect into what looks like a seamless corridor of disconnectivity. Not all calls are dropped all the time, but coverage is spotty and inconsistent.

The problem is Maine’s topography and the number and placement of cell phone towers. The governor’s plan makes state property available to wireless providers, but in many communities there just aren’t enough potential customers to make the investment worthwhile.

Even getting a fix on the problem requires an ad hoc reporting system. Cell phone companies guard information about their towers and their locations closely and, unless a tower extends higher than 200 feet, there is no requirement for its location to be reported to the Federal Communications Commission

Ultimately, the state depends on the goodwill of the industry – which is motivated by profit – for improved service. If the governor is to achieve his goal of full coverage in just three years, a more aggressive approach may become necessary.

As it stands, telecommunications companies are required to pay fees to support the Federal Universal Service Fund, which provides discounts to low-income phone users, supports companies that provide services in high-cost areas, makes sure schools and libraries are connected and links rural health care providers to urban medical centers.

Here’s how the fees are defended: The FCC and Congress “recognize that telephone service provides a vital link to emergency services, government services, and surrounding communities. To help promote telecommunications service nationwide, the FCC, as directed by Congress, developed the Federal Universal Service Fund.”

With more than 600,000 cell phone users in Maine, and thousands more visiting every year, it’s time to consider whether the ubiquitous nature of cell phones demands the same type of near universal access required of land lines.

The issue goes beyond the emergencies and desperation. It’s a matter of business expansion, bringing economic development to rural areas and embracing the realities of a wireless world. In some parts of the state, wireless service is almost nonexistent and high speed Internet is a dream.

By expanding telecommunications, rural areas can be opened to new possibilities of entrepreneurship. We are aware of many small businesses, struggling with the limitations of poor connectivity, located in towns desperate for jobs and growth. And the same revolution that has made it possible for radiologists in India to read X-rays from Manhattan could open up new possibilities to Maine residents and help reverse the population flow away from smaller communities and toward metropolitan areas.

As the country and the state drive to compete with the emerging economic powerhouses of India and China, we must recognize the investments that will best utilize our available resources and connect talented and dedicated workers with the industries that need their skills. Improved telecommunications in rural areas is a good example of where to start.

When a production studio Down East can quickly download large, raw music files from Nashville, when a nurse doing home visits near the Canadian border can quickly and reliably contact a hospital, when a new business can grow into worldwide markets from a small office in Rangeley, we’ll know that we’re making progress.

Be sure, while Maine is struggling to connect its residents with the latest in telecommunications technologies, our competitors are not waiting around. The governor’s initiative is on the mark, but it can’t rely on goodwill alone to move the state forward. Without more direct pressure, the incentive to Connect ME could fail to meet its potential.