What Urban/Rural Divide? Minnesota Research Group Finds Similarities In No Broadband Access

While there are areas in greater Minnesota that are still in desperate need of high-speed broadband access, many low-income households in both greater Minnesota and the Twin Cities do not have internet access at home. Among households making less than $20,000 annually, nearly half in all greater Minnesota regions and 40% in the Twin Cities have no internet subscription at home. This includes an internet subscription for a laptop, desktop, tablet, wireless computer, or smartphone, or because there is no computer in the household. Many middle-income households do not have internet access either. A quarter of households in the northeast, northwest, and southwest regions making $20,000-$74,999 annually, and about one in five residents in the central, southern and Twin Cities regions, report not having an internet subscription at home. Internet access, particularly high-speed broadband access, is crucial for reasons that many of us take for granted, such as distance learning, applying for jobs and working from home, and requesting an absentee ballot.