Why Rural Areas Need High-Speed Internet

While businesses realize that high-speed internet is crucial for telework, it's still challenging to find internet service providers that cover rural areas. According to BroadbandNow, 5% of the US population lacks broadband internet.

Although approximately 21.3 million Americans don't have access to broadband, the vast majority resides in rural areas. This lack of internet access may affect your employees or customers in these remote areas. Here's what you should know if you need to get high-speed internet to better serve them.

Why rural areas lack high-speed internet

There's a reason rural areas are less likely to have access to high-speed internet: the profit margin for internet service providers. Because rural homes and businesses are far apart, it costs more money to lay fiber-optic cables across the miles that separate buildings, and there are fewer customers to pay for it.

As a result, internet providers refuse to expend a great deal of capital to connect a small number of homes and businesses. This is why rural residents are unconnected and face less-than-ideal options like paying for satellite internet, which is less robust and slower than fiber-optic internet.

The cost of rural internet deserts

There are serious consequences for a lack of connectivity in rural areas. Without reliable access to the internet, rural Americans can't take advantage of remote work, telehealth appointments or online schooling.

If your company is fully remote, employees may also consider more affordable remote areas. Remote work opportunities open up the talent pool beyond metropolitan areas, but if families and professionals can't count on broadband internet in rural areas, it could make it harder to attract and retain talent.

Your company could offer business Wi-Fi so employees aren't relying on public Wi-Fi for their connectivity needs. Follow the Federal Trade Commission's guidelines for secure remote access, and ensure employees follow strong security standards to help protect your business.

How to connect rural communities

Although the Affordable Connectivity Extension Act of 2024 helped 22 million lower-income households afford high-speed internet, this funding will eventually run out. The lack of broadband internet is a serious problem for rural areas, and there are still many things rural residents and business owners can do to help connect their communities.

For instance, many rural communities have taken a page from farmers of the 1930s who formed cooperatives to get electricity. Using the infrastructure already in place under these already-established electric and telephone co-ops, internet co-ops can also get communities online.

In 2017, the Taylor Electric Cooperative in Abilene, Texas, launched a successful internet access pilot program with engineers connecting one apartment complex and subdivision at a time, using the co-op's existing technology and personnel.

You can help rural employees and customers by advocating for expanded broadband access and the formation of co-ops. Start by familiarizing yourself with state and local laws that may prohibit co-ops from providing internet services. Then call lawmakers and inform rural employees and community members about the potential for co-ops.

The bottom line

You can do your part by encouraging state representatives to consider high-speed internet a utility that's available to everyone. Within your business, keep an open-door policy with customers and employees so you can help resolve connectivity issues as they arise.