Want to close America’s rural-urban divide? Digital infrastructure is the key.

The dearth of broadband Internet connectivity is the bane of many rural areas, exacerbating demographic decline by contributing to out-migration of millennials and loss of business opportunities. Merely installing high-speed fiber-optic networks across rural America, while vital, will not be enough. Significant public and private investment in K-16 education is required to build a new digital economy future for rural America. In addition, innovative public-private partnerships, including university-community-industry-partnerships (UCIPs) can galvanize action around the urgency of digital literacy in rural areas. Key to this strategy would be significantly increasing participation in expanded coding and STEM programs from K-16 as well as vocational and workforce development programs. By increasing digital literacy, distressed communities can emerge as tech talent hot spots that generate higher-paying jobs, attract millennials and rejuvenate downtown areas.

[Jem Spectar is president of the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown]