Coops can play major role in development of rural infrastructure

• Published in: Rural Cooperatives Vol. 84; no. 5; pp. 2 - 46
• Main Author: Borst, Alan
• Format: Trade Publication Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington Superintendent of Documents 01-09-2017
• Subjects: Business models; Cooperatives; Funding; Infrastructure; Internet access; Rural areas
• ISSN: 1088-8845; 2169-2203

Just as rural electrification was central in promoting economic growth in the early part of the 20th century, provision of broadband internet service to rural residents is presently key to their economic future. Lynn Pittman of the University of Wisconsin (UW) Center for Cooperatives and Mary Kluz of the UW Broadband and E-Commerce Education Center have summarized the argument for cooperative provision of broadband internet access to rural America: "Broadband access and adoption have emerged as critical issues for rural communities. [...]the business case for investing in broadband infrastructure is inherently difficult, given the capital-intensive investment needed to serve sparsely distributed rural populations.