Center on Rural Innovation

Broadband access is increasingly recognized as essential infrastructure in today’s economy, with the ability to connect residents and businesses to economic opportunities nationwide, even in remote rural areas. However, rural America has lagged behind metropolitan areas in broadband investment, exacerbating economic disparities between rural and nonrural America. The lack of connectivity has hindered rural communities’ ability to participate in the 21st-century digital economy, especially with the rise of the knowledge economy.

To help illustrate some of the stark realities of what rural Americans are experiencing in the wake of this monumental health crisis, Center on Rural Innovation’s Mapping and Data Analytics team has created an interactive broadband map to better visualize and understand broadband availability across America’s school districts. The maps consider broadband to be internet service that: