Small Rural Towns Take Reins In Providing Internet Service

Rural towns are making moves to provide their own high speed internet services. Many rural areas are underserved by big internet service providers, and public officials recognize the importance of internet access to the future of their communities.

1 minute read

June 8, 2007, 11:00 AM PDT

By Nate Berg


"Slow. Expensive. Unreliable. These are complaints of many rural residents about their Internet service. But for small-town America, the problem is bigger than mere inconvenience. Increasingly, leaders in rural communities are coming to believe that access to high- speed Internet is tied to their towns' future survival. They're becoming less patient with telecommunications companies, which they say have lagged in providing the service their residents need at a price they can afford."

"Tired of waiting, the town of Sullivan plans to start its own high-speed Internet network this summer, using a combination of fiber-optic cable, wireless transmitters mounted on water towers, and Internet signals sent over power lines. Mayor Short and other officials expect the system, which will cost half a million dollars, to give residents in and around Sullivan faster, cheaper, and more reliable service than private companies have provided. 'We feel we can do it better,' she says."

Thursday, June 7, 2007 in The Christian Science Monitor

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