Wall Street Journal

Why should taxpayers subsidize improvements in rural America (“Why Rural Americans Keep Waiting for Fast Internet,” Page One, June 16)? Rural communities account for nearly one-fifth of America’s population and one-tenth of its gross domestic product. They provide water, food and energy to the country. Although well-intentioned, government contracts are only as effective as their oversight. Clearly the government fell short in Heavener (OK) and elsewhere.

The Federal Communications Commission launched a major initiative to provide high-speed internet service to rural Americans in 2020, dedicating $9.2 billion through the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) to entice companies to extend their networks to places previously deemed too c