Broadband’s broken promise: How federal failures and funding fights keep Native and Black farmers offline

In 2023, Virginian John Boyd’s combine caught fire while harvesting grain, and he was in a dead zone. He had to walk a mile and a half just to find cellular service. By then, the fire had destroyed his combine. “A complete loss, and insurance wouldn’t pay,” Boyd said. Internet access is more than a convenience for farmers and ranchers. It’s become critical infrastructure, and not only for emergency situations. Research has linked high-speed internet access to increased crop yields and reduced operational expenses, largely through precision agriculture—advanced farm technologies that leverage timely, detailed data. However, an analysis of census data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture exposes race-based disparities in farm internet access.