Rural areas are found to be woefully underserved when it comes to broadband options, a condition that could stunt economic growth. It's no wonder then that Illinois is aggressively pursuing universal access for everyone in the state. Lt. Governor Pat Quinn is one of the main cheerleaders for rural broadband, pushing the DOT to install fiber lines whenever they do a road repair. That's not a bad idea considering that trenching is the bulk of your expense. They're taking some leads from Virginia, a state that has spent millions to install fiber-optic lines to rural communities. Already it's paid off with over 700 new jobs in the town of Lebanon, population 3,000.
(See full articles here and here.)
The Communications Workers Of America has a campaign to promote low cost-high speed broadband for all Americans. This will not only produce good paying jobs but it will also provide for important applications for rural communities. Apps like telemedicine and distance education are just a couple of examples. To get more information go to http://www.speedmatters.org
Thanks for pointing that out to me! I'm always happy to find more proponents of rational broadband policy.