Wiring rural America

WIRING RURAL AMERICA
[SOURCE: The Economist]
Largely rural, Kentucky is best known for its bourbon and horse racing; it rarely ranks in the top tier of states on any measure of 21st-century success. According to Brian Mefford, president of ConnectKentucky, a public-private partnership, a few years ago the state had among the lowest rates of broadband availability in the country. Internet service providers could not be sure that there were enough potential customers in the Kentucky countryside to justify new investment in cabling or wireless transmitters. But by the end of this year, Mr Mefford boasts, 98% of residents will have access to inexpensive broadband services. This is primarily because of ConnectKentucky's effort to map broadband demand in communities that didn't have access, he says, which indicated that enough people in Kentucky farm country would sign up if providers entered the market. At the same time, the organization also talked up high-speed Internet services to skeptical residents, creating demand where it was slack. Once isolated Kentuckians can now consult with doctors in faraway cities or telecommute. ConnectKentucky is just one effort among many programmes in different states and within the federal government to wire up the American countryside. Backers compare them to Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal push to bring electricity to the hinterland. Supporters also hope expanded rural broadband access will stop the steady loss of population to cities and suburbs. But not all have been as successful as Kentucky's.
http://www.economist.com/world/na/displaystory.cfm?story_id=9803963