Rural America Lags Wired Cities

RURAL AMERICA LAGS WIRED CITIES
[SOURCE: Associated Press]
Fifty-one percent of U.S. farms have Internet access, according to a July 2005 report by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, up from 48 percent in 2003. More than two-thirds of them, however, still use dial-up modems to connect. Rural America has lagged behind the cities in Internet usage -- especially broadband -- because wiring the population-rich cities is more profitable and wiring the countryside more expensive due to long distances and natural barriers. Now, farmers and existing rural businesses are becoming more reliant on the Internet to be competitive, and rural communities are becoming more aggressive in seeking Internet access. They see it as a way to attract white-collar jobs, and urban dwellers who have moved to the country are demanding it.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/internet/02/12/online.farmers.ap/index.html