Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

About a Quarter of Rural Americans Say Access To High-Speed Internet Is a Major Problem (pewresearch.org)

Posted by BeauHD on from the jury-is-still-out dept.

According to a Pew Research Center survey, 24% of rural adults say access to high-speed internet is a major problem in their local community. "An additional 34% of rural residents see this as a minor problem, meaning that roughly six-in-ten rural Americans (58%) believe access to high speed internet is a problem in their area," the report says. From the report: By contrast, smaller shares of Americans who live in urban areas (13%) or the suburbs (9%) view access to high-speed internet service as a major problem in their area. And a majority of both urban and suburban residents report that this is not an issue in their local community, according to the survey, conducted Feb. 26-March 11. Concerns about access to high-speed internet are shared by rural residents from various economic backgrounds. For example, 20% of rural adults whose household income is less than $30,000 a year say access to high speed internet is a major problem, but so do 23% of rural residents living in households earning $75,000 or more annually. These sentiments are also similar between rural adults who have a bachelor's or advanced degree and those with lower levels of educational attainment. There are, however, some differences by age and by race and ethnicity. Rural adults ages 50 to 64 are more likely than those in other groups to see access to high-speed internet as a problem where they live. Nonwhites who live in a rural area are more likely than their white counterparts to say this is a major problem (31% vs. 21%).

21 of 157 comments (clear)

  1. Satellite service works by ravenspear · · Score: 2

    It's not going to work for games that need super low latency but satellite delivers decently high speed for everything else.

    You really can't fault the cable/DSL service providers for not investing tons of money expanding their wired networks out to the sticks if the number of additional subscribers they will get will not pay for said network expansion.

    Sounds like if we feel the lack of high speed internet for rural folks is a big societal problem, then it would have to be the government that makes the investment. But most rural folks also hate the government so that might not go over well.

    1. Re:Satellite service works by drinkypoo · · Score: 4, Interesting

      You really can't fault the cable/DSL service providers for not investing tons of money expanding their wired networks out to the sticks if the number of additional subscribers they will get will not pay for said network expansion.

      We've paid them to do it. They promised to deliver high-speed internet to all wired subscribers and didn't. The people (like me) on satellite would still be screwed, unless we could establish a private wi-fi link to a neighbor who's got service, but the vast majority of people would at least have something useful.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    2. Re:Satellite service works by erp_consultant · · Score: 5, Insightful

      "You really can't fault the cable/DSL service providers for not investing tons of money expanding their wired networks out to the sticks if the number of additional subscribers they will get will not pay for said network expansion." - Uh yeah, actually we can. It was part of the deal they signed with the government in exchange for exclusive territories. The TelCo's haven't held up their end of the bargain.

      "But most rural folks also hate the government so that might not go over well." - Is it any wonder? See above. As with a lot of these kinds of issues, if you dig deep enough you will find that the folks charged with looking out for us (i.e.government) is often to blame. The TelCo's, being the greedy opportunists that they are, are simply taking advantage of the situation. They are banking on little to no enforcement and if push comes to shove, it's nothing that a few campaign contributions won't fix.

    3. Re:Satellite service works by El+Cubano · · Score: 2

      We've paid them to do it. They promised to deliver high-speed internet to all wired subscribers and didn't.

      There are really multiple sides to this issue. From the perspective of the principle of the matter, I agree with you 100% (it actually felt weird to write that). The monopoly carriers made a deal, took the money, but then didn't live up to their end of the bargain. It is sad that the government has permitted that to happen. The utter lack of competition and in some cases even a single viable option for service is a clear indicator that the marketplace will not solve this problem (and I say that as someone who strongly favors market-based solutions over regulation-based solutions).

      That said, if you have always lived in the country and got left behind, you have a legitimate complaint. However, if you have moved into a rural area in the last 5 or 10 years, then you knew what you were getting. I personally moved to a very rural area a little over 10 years with full knowledge that my options for Internet service were going to be 1) considerably more expensive, and 2) considerably less capable than if I remained in an urban or suburban area. However, the immense improvement in my quality of life is more than worth the crappy Internet service I have to tolerate. I had already cut the cord on cable years prior, so I didn't feel like I was missing out on the rubbish that passes for television programming nowadays. I spend more time outside, am much more physically fit, let stressed, and so on and so on.

      So, I would like to see better options for service where I live and I support that in whatever way I can (i.e., expressing interest to nearby local ISPs, writing my legislators, etc.). However, I feel like I am not entitled to whine about my crappy Internet because, well, I knew what I was signing up for.

    4. Re:Satellite service works by El+Cubano · · Score: 4, Interesting

      But most rural folks also hate the government so that might not go over well.

      Baseless assertion much?

      To begin with, while there are certainly rural residents who hate the government, there are also suburban and urban residents who also hate the government. In fact, I will make my own baseless assertion here and say that the percentage of rural "government haters" is not meaningfully different from the percentages of suburban and urban "government haters." Boy, that was fun and easy.

      Furthermore, there is a world difference between wanting smaller, less intrusive government and hating the government. You can find plenty of people who are one but not the other, the same as you can find those who are both and those who are neither.

      Further-furthermore, you must not be familiar with things like farm subsidies, ethanol subsidies, and BLM (Bureau of Land Management, not the other one). There are plenty of rural people who like and support their various subsidies, as well as those who like that they can graze their livestock on BLM land and effectively multiply the amount of available pastureland that they have with no direct personal cost. I suspect that very few of those rural residents "hate the government."

    5. Re:Satellite service works by serviscope_minor · · Score: 2

      However, if you have moved into a rural area in the last 5 or 10 years, then you knew what you were getting.

      The compaines were still paid to deliver it. Lots of tax money was flat-out stolen. Nothing absolves that or makes it better.

      --
      SJW n. One who posts facts.
  2. Shouldn't the title be Lack of Access be a Problem by Streetlight · · Score: 4, Informative

    If rural folks have access to high speed Internet, I don't see how that's a problem.

    I have in laws living on Iowa farms only a three or four miles from a town that has very good high speed Internet but their only wired connection is dial up. Lack of HS Internet is a real problem considering all the high tech graphical agricultural information available to them from a wide variety of sources.

    --
    In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act. George Orwell
  3. Trade-offs by alvinrod · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Sure the internet is shit compared to the big cities, but they probably don't have to spend several hours stuck in traffic every day. If there were a perfect place where you could truly have it all, everyone would try to move their and that would probably ruin it. So ask yourself what's really important to you and realize that you might have to give up some other things in pursuit of that.

    1. Re: Trade-offs by datavirtue · · Score: 3, Informative

      It's called Cincinnati. All the big city advantages with none of the big city drawbacks. Traffic at rush hour is as bad as it gets and that is barely an inconvenience in only a few places. Our two internet suppliers are constantly duking it out on price, speed, and terms.

      --
      I object to power without constructive purpose. --Spock
    2. Re:Trade-offs by careysub · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Sure the internet is shit compared to the big cities, but they probably don't have to spend several hours stuck in traffic every day. If there were a perfect place where you could truly have it all, everyone would try to move their and that would probably ruin it. So ask yourself what's really important to you and realize that you might have to give up some other things in pursuit of that.

      You are looking at this all wrong. If they had good broadband out in the sticks you could move there and enjoy your Internet based lifestyle, work remote, and live where it is cheap and the land and skies are beautiful. And if a fair number of people such as yourself would make this relocation, blue people moving to the red prairies, they would turn purple and maybe even blue breaking the back of the right-wing in America.

      It might even stimulate the rural economy, leading to higher incomes and less dependence on the blue states for Federal tax transfers.

      You should be supporting efforts to bring broadband to rural America. I sure as heck do.

      --
      Starships were meant to fly, Hands up and touch the sky - Nicky Minaj
  4. Re:Shouldn't the title be Lack of Access be a Prob by Gabest · · Score: 2

    Amish people see high speed internet as a curse.

  5. Re:It's not just rural by 110010001000 · · Score: 4, Funny

    I just checked with Xfininty and they offer 1Gbps internet at that address, greenwow. Why do you pretend it isn't you posting this every time? We all know you are the "slow Internet in Seattle guy".

  6. Re: It's not just rural by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

    Ok I do not know where in Seattle you are but I have lived here for years and had broadband all that time. I am not calling you a liar I am just wondering where you and your coworkers live such that you cannot get better than T1.

    Obviously I can't answer your question living a couple thousand miles away, but it has been my experience that what greenwow was saying is very similar to where I live near Lansing, and wouldn't surprise me in the slightest.

    Here, you can get 1Gb fiber. Or maybe not, and the best you can get is 100Mb cable, unless it's 40Mb cable. Or maybe not, and 1.5Mb DSL is all you can get.

    It's totally fucking random depending on what provider "owns" what area. All within a few miles around the same city.

  7. Re: It's not just rural by HornWumpus · · Score: 2

    The US government still spends 1 billion$/year on rural electrification. It goes to pad profits of utilities that serve rich people (farmers and out suburbs that were rural in 1930). Pure rent seeking.

    That program is not an argument in favor of government intervention, rather the opposite.

    --
    John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
  8. Business Internet by DatbeDank · · Score: 2

    I work from home full time and tried to survive using basic home internet service.

    I gave up and settled on full service business class cable. It's really fast and I get better customer service than the home guys.

    If you do any service work at home, spring for business class. Even in the country, it's stupid fast.

  9. Possible Fix - LEO satellite internet by treymichaelcook · · Score: 2

    Hopefully the various companies planning (like Oneweb & Starlink) to launch satellites for LEO internet are successful. Starlink already has a couple test satellites in orbit. This should basically fix this issue; a large enough LEO constellation of satellites should be able to provide access to all rural Americans (and rural people anywhere else that local government lets Starlink or Oneweb sell service to) at a price that is much cheaper than installing cable/fiber everywhere. By being in low Earth orbit, that fixes the latency issues that plague existing internet satellites in higher orbits, and the larger number of satellites will allow for faster service/more customers - Starlink plans on launching over 4,000 satellites in the next six years, and another 7,000 after that.

  10. Re:You bet it's a problem! by jtara · · Score: 2

    Poor student grades, of course.

  11. Re:It's not just rural by kenh · · Score: 2

    Local politicians gave away monopoly rights to the community in exchange for a free local cable access channel and some discounted/free internet access for the city (libraries, city hall, schools, fire/police departments, etc.).

    --
    Ken
  12. Re:It's not just rural by serviscope_minor · · Score: 2

    . I live in Seattle

    Says the guy who claimed to live in SV on $50,000 a year.

    I think

    s/SV/mom's basement/
    s/$50,000/50000 cheetos bags/

    --
    SJW n. One who posts facts.
  13. Re: It's not just rural by jeff4747 · · Score: 2

    That only happens when the cost of the work is small. If it's large, you're going to be cutting a check before the job is done.

    And again, Clinton only started the ball rolling. 2000 would be about when planning was wrapping up if they were actually doing the roll-out. So accountability was up to the Bush administration.

  14. Telco co-op is the answer. by Cowardly+Lurker · · Score: 2

    In my rural area of North Dakota we have a regional co-op as our only option for wired service. For a while I was stuck with HVDL service that was a slow but consistent 756 Kbps down, had fair/OK latency for gaming.

    The co-op was in the process of expanding their fiber network but they hadn't yet reached my area. I suppose that's understandable, I live 30 miles out. My nearest neighbors are about a half-mile down the gravel road in either direction. Even now the cell phone coverage (Verizon tower, I think) is spotty at best.

    A few years went by but sure enough, they eventually came and trenched in fiber up to the house, for free! They also installed an indoor ONT with 802.11b/g/n wireless and a four port 1Gb Eth switch. I know it can go up to 1Gbps, but I currently have the 100Mbps service and it's fantastic.

    I have to acknowledge how fortunate I am. Especially after reading about the trouble that others have, even in urban areas. IMHO, the larger broadband monopolies have no excuse for not doing better. Shame on them!