Flawed Data Keeps Rural America On The Wrong Side Of The Digital Divide

By Zippy Duvall

Take a drive through Hamilton County, Kansas, population 2,500, and you know you are in the heart of rural America. Hamilton County has an abundance of many things – wheat, sorghum, and dairy, for starters – but broadband isn’t one of them. That’s a scary prospect when participation in the modern economy simply demands good internet service.

Policymakers, trade associations, and private companies know this digital divide is a real problem and have supported commendable efforts to close the gap. But there’s a catch for communities like Hamilton County. The county isn’t eligible for public funds to support broadband deployment and could be missed by private investment, too, because – according to the Federal Communications Commission – 100% of the county’s population has access to broadband internet.