The rural netroots need broadband | Speed Matters – Internet Speed Test

Last week, I attended the Netroots Nation conference in Pittsburgh. The Conference gave me a terrific perspective on just how much broadband matters to activists. As I spoke with conference attendees, I was glad to be able to share with them our Benefits of Broadband booklet, a compilation of our fact sheets about the importance of broadband to Health Care, the Environment, Education and many other areas.

I attended several panels on rural issues and one message came through loud and clear - rural activists were reaching out for help from the netroots community to tell their stories because, in many cases, the lack of broadband in rural areas prevents people in those areas from speaking for themselves. In fact, only 46% of adults in rural areas subscribe to broadband, and in many cases that access is via slow and less reliable satellite connections...