Rural Broadband Necessary

Rick Worthington

Broadband in rural areas is still a very big concern among those who live and work on a farm or ranch.

Brian Whitacre is a professor of agricultural economics and explains the differences in broadband access between urban and rural America, and defines the specifications for official broadband speed.

Private providers are driving a majority of broadband investment, and they get the most bang for their buck in urban areas. This is why rural America relies so heavily on government subsidies and non-private providers to invest in laying the infrastructure.

One hundred percent connectivity would be ideal, but Whitacre says a more realistic goal is in the ninety to ninety-five percent rage. However, simply creating access to broadband doesn't always mean the technology will be taken advantage of by the rural population.