USDA STUDY FINDS RURAL COMMUNITIES BENEFIT FROM GREATER BROADBAND INTERNET ACCES

WASHINGTON, August 18, 2009 - A new USDA economic analysis has found that rural communities with greater broadband Internet access had greater economic growth than areas with less access. The study, 'Broadband Internet's Value for Rural America' by economists at USDA's Economic Research Service, compared counties that had broadband access relatively early - by 2000 - with similarly situated counties that had little or no broadband access. Employment growth was higher and non-farm private earnings greater in counties with a longer history of broadband availability. "Rebuilding and revitalizing rural communities is one of my top goals and a key component of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, and this study reaffirms that expanding access to broadband is a catalyst for economic development," said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. Rural America has shared in the growth of the Internet economy, the study found. Such benefits as online course offerings for students and continuing education programs have improved educational opportunities, especially in small isolated rural areas. Telemedicine and telehealth have been hailed as vital to health care provision in rural communities. Most employment growth in the U.S. over the last several decades has been in the service sector, which is especially conducive for broadband applications. Broadband allows rural areas to compete for low-and high-end service jobs, from call centers to software development. The farm sector is increasingly comprised of farm businesses that buy inputs and make sales online, the study found. WE AGREE! Time and again, the need for high speed internet was voiced in the Horizons meetings as a high priority to bring to our community. The growing opportunities for education, access to medical information, and employment are needed as an option for people that will help bring them from poverty to prosperity. Whether our community is awarded a 2009 USDA Community Connect Grant this year or not, it is one of the goals of the Tum Tum Horizons Group to continue to do what we can to bring broadband to the Tum Tum/Lake Spokane area.