Public policy

communications | deregulation | FCC | land line | landline | regulation | Public policy
Hardly Outdated: The Invaluable Value of Landlines in Rural
Fri, 08/10/2012 - 15:20


Jefferson Sinclair, a Rural Strategies intern and student at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, learned about various state bills that seek to deregulate basic telephone service across the country (such as SB 1161 in California and SB 271 in Ohio). As an economics major, he wanted to consider two sides of this issue: the companies supporting these bills and the rural consumers who would be disconnected. Read his reflections on the invaluable value of landlines to rural people and find out what he concluded.

By Jefferson Sinclair

Recovery | Reinvestment | Public policy
Impact of recovery act on rural remains unclear
Thu, 11/05/2009 - 14:13


As the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) approaches the halfway mark in its two-year life cycle, nonprofit leaders are beginning to examine the impact of the act on rural communities.

The Rural Policy Research Institute (RUPRI) asked leaders in six states to evaluate how the recovery act is working for rural areas. The report, issued October 27, 2009, found that these leaders felt that the rural areas most in need of economic stimulus aren't the ones getting funding from the federal program. Respondents also cited difficult application procedures and matching funding requirements as impediments to rural participation in ARRA.