Rural America to Telecos: “We’re Still Here, Guys. Can We Get Some Reliable Service, Please?”

[Commentary] From Sunday, June 23 to Wednesday, June 26, 2013 participants representing more than 500 local, regional, and national advocacy organizations gathered outside of DC to participate in the National Rural Assembly.

The Assembly works to build a stronger, more vibrant rural America and during the conference attendees discussed rural policies regarding health care, education, community development, and broadband deployment. The Rural Broadband Policy Group, a working group of the National Rural Assembly has compiled numerous stories from rural Americans about their experiences accessing and using broadband Internet. These stories are available to listen and read at the Rural Broadband Tales portal of PlaceStories.com, and provide a stark contrast to the pleasant picture of broadband access that telcom executives have been painting recently.