INTERNET FOR RURAL AREAS:
CHALLENGES AND SOLUTIONS
When you try to order high-speed internet in the country, you get used to hearing “no.” That’s because most internet providers have to build expensive physical infrastructure to offer service in certain areas, and the fewer customers they sign per mile, the more money they lose installing the network.
Many internet service providers decide that internet for rural areas isn’t worth their resources, creating a digital divide between Americans that can and can’t get internet service at home.
But the divide may not be as wide as it seems. In 2008, the FCC pushed for faster, more reliable internet options for rural areas. And in 2018, the USDA introduced the ReConnect Program, which invested over $1 billion to expand the internet for rural areas and tribal lands. Rural internet providers today answer the call with five primary technologies: dial-up, satellite, DSL, WISP, and cellular broadband. In this guide, we’ll explore the strengths and weaknesses of each rural internet option and help you find providers.