Rural Areas Making The Broadband Connection (NAPSA)—Thanks to small, independent communications providers, broadbandis getting even broader. But the fiber-optic cables that provide this service aren’t getting bigger. Instead, they’re reaching farther, offering phone and Internet access to people in rural and less-populated areas. About broadband Chances are you or someone in your family has used a broadband application in the past 24 hours. You may have downloaded music files, streamed a TV show to your laptop or sent new baby pictures to a long-distance relative. No matter whether they’re seriously wired or just casual computer users, people across the globe are increasingly relying on broadband services to meet their economic, personal security and entertainment needs. Broadbandincreases the quality of life in rural communities and playsa critical role in maintaining—and increasing—the populations of these communities throughout the nation. For instance: Enhanced telemedicinefacilities enable doctors to diagnose homebound patients from hundreds of miles away. Rural schools are able to band together to offer online foreign language courses that no one school could afford on its own. Workers can connect from Thanks to “universal service” legislation, rural communities can get broadband access. opportunities in the city can now access the same advanced technologies as their urban counterparts. In addition, high-capacity broadband can help create new jobs and prevent the loss of others—both of which are key to rural communities’ ability to not just survive, but to thrive. Much of this broadband expansion has been made possible due to a law that was passed 75 years ago. The Communications Act of 1934 as amended ensures that consumersin rural and geographically isolated areas receive telecom services that are comparable in price and scope to those in urban areas. Yet to make certain all Americans benefit from this communications connection, America needs a clear national broadband policy that distinctly defines broadband as a fully supported universal ser- home and gain uninterrupted access to files and applications at speeds that rival those of their office. Broadband access can also limit or reverse “urban migration.” vice—ensuring our network infra- been abandoning small towns for www.ntca.org. Rural residents—youth—who had structure is capable of delivering the advanced services that consumers demand. To learn more about universal service and how it affects America’s rural population, visit
