Lack of broadband will cripple rural areas

A new report written by University of Texas – Austin researcher Sharon Strover says that rural areas that don't have broadband access will be economically crippled.

Strover gathered a panel of economists to discuss the impact of broadband deployment in rural areas. She found that while broadband access probably won't automatically create jobs for rural communities, places that lack access will be at a severe disadvantage.

"Broadband will not bring immediate economic transformation to rural America," she wrote. "But regions that lack broadband will be crippled."
Dr. Strover adapted her report for publication in our online news journal, the Daily Yonder. The report was also covered by WMMT-Whitesburg, KY. (download an MP3 of the report).

Download a complete copy of the report.

Other scholars who participated in the roundtable on rural broadband are Kenneth Flamm (University of Texas – Austin), Amy Glasmeier (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), Shane Greenstein (Northwestern University), and William Lehr (MIT).

This research was supported by a grant from the Media Democracy Fund.