The internet scene for rural residents of the US is about to change. President Barack Obama has signed the Federal Broadband Stimulus Package in February this year. The package has allocated about $7 billion to improve the broadband connectivity of the rural areas, particularly the ones which are underserved.
This is great news for the rural residents as they can expect a giant leap in their internet connection speed. The package will predominantly focus on improving the rural broadband infrastructure, the public computing centers as well as data collection and mapping. Although dial-up connection is available in many rural homes in the US, it cannot offer the kind of fast connection speed that broadband can.
Regarding data collection, the Public Service Commission (PSC) has already commenced with data collection and online surveys to determine which pockets in the US are particularly underserved. Commenting on the purpose of the survey, PSC spokesperson Teresa Smith said, “We might have 6 pockets, we might have 25 pockets. That’s the point of all of this”. As soon as the underserved areas are identified, efforts will be underway to ensure that those areas have access to broadband with fast connection speed.
Surprisingly, only 40% of the rural homes in the US have access to fast internet connection speed. This stimulus package aims to expand the rural broadband connectivity. A faster internet connection will also result in higher business productivity and more job opportunities. In fact, this stimulus is expected to create an additional 128,000 jobs for US citizens in the next four years.