Broadband, or high-speed Internet access, is an essential part of Americans’ everyday lives. Broadband is no less necessary for Americans living in rural communities and yet, as a country, we don’t seem to be able to deliver it, even after the 2021 bipartisan infrastructure bill allocated over $40 billion to this priority.

Following the numbers

As of 2023, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) reports that 7.2 million people lack access to high-speed internet. Included in that number is 18 percent of U.S. farms.

The benefits of rural broadband

Rural communities need access to health care, government services, and educational and business opportunities. For many rural communities, access can only be gained by using broadband services and sophisticated technologies that require high-speed connections.

For farmers and ranchers specifically, broadband is crucial for modern agriculture. The American Farm Bureau Federation (FB) reports that farmers need access to precision agricultural techniques, to be able to follow commodity markets, or communicate with their customers. 

The Show Me State as an example

The state of Missouri currently ranks 42nd in the nation in broadband access. 

More than 1.26 million Missourians do not have access to high speed Internet or 20% of the state’s population. According to the Federal Communications Commission, more than 1.04 million of those citizens reside in the rural parts of the state.

The Biden Administration allocated over $1.7 billion in June 2023, the third highest in the country, to help expand and improve broadband internet access statewide. In addition, over $260 million was approved by the state legislature in January to create more than 55,000 connections in areas that previously lacked broadband internet access.

American Rescue Plan (ARPA) projects are proceeding under different timelines but must be operational by September 30, 2026.

The Trump administration is planning on changing the rules of the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program to, among other things, “take a more technology-neutral approach” – the Trump administration and GOP leadership have opposed the program’s preference for fiber, citing its relatively higher cost to deploy.

A group of Missouri state legislators, broadband providers, and others in the state are urging the Commerce Department not to make major changes to a $42.45 billion infrastructure bill. In a letter sent to , the signatories stated that 90% of the applications they received were for unserved locations and that “All applications were fiber based.”

Why is this modern-day necessity still out of reach? 

The 2021 plan has still not delivered to rural parts of the United States and with an operational deadline of September 2026, it remains to be seen whether or not anyone in rural America will see extended broadband. 

While the money is there, permitting, regulations, administrative capacity, procurement, and broadband adoption are posing significant challenges to delivering the connection. 

Another issue contributing to the hold up was an affordability rule that was part of a suite of federal conditions, some written into the original infrastructure law and some added by the administration in its 2022 guidelines. 

The rules require states accepting the money to make sure providers plan for climate change, reach out to unionized workforces and hire locally. Telecommunications companies say this makes it too onerous for them to deliver with the allocated funds and before the September 2026 deadline. 

Then there is the change in presidential administrations and their priorities, which may or may not impact the ability to deliver.

All of this leads to rural Americans remaining in the digital darkness. 

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