Net neutrality is vital – but so is rural broadband

Most issues look different from rural America, and that’s especially true of internet neutrality. No one doubts that net neutrality policies to keep the internet open and free for all users is vital. No internet provider or tech company should be allowed to block websites, censor or discriminate against viewpoints, manipulate cyberspace to shut out competition or otherwise interfere with our online experience. But for many activists and tech advocates in high-connectivity urban areas, that’s all that net neutrality means. In rural America, however, effective net neutrality means much more. Most fundamentally, net neutrality policies must also accelerate the deployment and buildout of new high-speed networks to rural areas. A neutral internet doesn’t mean much if you don’t have network access in the first place and almost 40 percent of rural Americans still lack high-speed broadband. This is a key issue often overlooked in the debate.

[Niel Ritchie is CEO of Main Street Project and director of the League of Rural Voters]