Watching the live-stream of today’s West Virginia Broadband Summit on NextGenWeb, it was hard to not feel optimistic about all the ways broadband is improving our lives. Sen. Rockefeller (D-WV), Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, brought that message to his home state from Washington – and spoke of the need to ensure that all Americans are able to capitalize on broadband.
Describing rural towns as the “salt of America,” Sen. Rockefeller spent a good deal of time talking about the fact that too many people are not yet capitalizing on the health, education and many other benefits associated with high-speed Internet.
Recent data shows that things are trending in the right direction. Rural Americans are experiencing the highest increase in broadband penetration, according to a recent study by comScore. In the past two years, the study found, rural America’s 16% broadband penetration growth outpaced both urban and suburban America. The report attributes the progress to both rising consumer demand and expanding consumer choices. Entry-level broadband prices that rival dial-up services, the report finds, are proving particularly effective in encouraging more rural Americans to make the high-speed switch.
This good news follows-up on the most recent Pew Internet and American Life Project findings, which document a more than 20% surge in rural American broadband adoption in the past year. Add in the comScore penetration data and we have compelling evidence that we are making important progress in building a truly broadband nation.
Nobody would tell Sen. Rockefeller that our collective work is done – not even close. But we are seeing evidence that more Americans are experiencing the life-enhancing benefits of broadband. People in rural communities now have greater access to quality, specialized health care, distance-learning opportunities and more economic opportunities.
As Sen. Rockefeller emphasized more than once today (his remarks and the entire event will be archived on NextGenWeb when the event concludes later today), there is still important work to do—in both reaching remaining unserved areas and encouraging more Americans to reap the many benefits of broadband. He will no doubt continue to show tireless leadership on these issues – and NextGenWeb will remain focused on being a champion of our continued, collective progress.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
social networking