When John F. Kennedy visited Appalachia during the 1960 presidential campaign, he was shocked by what he described as “the hungry children €¦ the old people who cannot pay their doctors bills, the families forced to give up their farms.” He vowed to do something about it. Since that famous visit by Kennedy, the Appalachian region of the United States — hard hit by the loss of mining jobs and steep population declines — has been a prime focus of public-private programs to alleviate poverty and spur economic development.
The Appalachian Regional Commission, which grew out of the “War on Poverty” programs of the Kennedy and Johnson administrations, has built an impressive array of economic development programs to assist the region. Among these is the Information Age Appalachia telecommunications and information technology program, which promotes the development of telecommunications in the region.
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