Is broadband access for rural Americans a human right or boondoggle?

NPR’s Howard Berkes reported on the economic stimulus package, which contains $7.2 billion for building out high-speed internet access for rural and unserved communities.

The piece also quoted former FCC chief economist Michael Katz, who called rural areas “environmentally hostile, energy inefficient, and weak in innovation.”

Dee Davis, president of the Center for Rural Strategies, responded to Katz’ comments. And Bill Bishop, co-editor of the Daily Yonder, described high-speed Internet access as a basic right, similar to telephone service.

To see the Center for Rural Strategies analysis of rural broadband penetration, visit the Daily Yonder.

Drawing Resilience: Maureen Hearty

Maureen Hearty transforms objects, space, and community, seeing art as a tool for action, education, and opportunity. The majority of her community-based work today is on the eastern plains of Colorado, considered one of the most sparsely populated areas in the United States. In Joes, Colorado (pop. 78), she is activating space using art, music, and the collection of story. In 2020, Maureen and her friend Kristin Stoltz were awarded an NEA grant for a project titled “Arts for a Prairie Seas: Farming Fluxus.”

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