Lagging Access To Internet Costly For Rural Workers
January 15, 2001
University Park, Pa. – Despite easy access to Internet technology in urban and suburban areas, a sizable number of Americans are far from being wired, and the social and economic costs of being left behind are growing, says a Penn State researcher.

For many of the 20 percent of Americans who live in rural America, minorities and the economically disadvantaged, scanning e-mail and surfing the Net are not available options, according to Amy Glasmeier, professor of geography. More than a million rural Americans still don’t have access to cable or telephone service and therefore are unable to connect.

Telecommunications access is limited for a number of reasons, she says, including government deregulation and big corporate mergers that have left technological industries with little incentive to move into areas where the demand for services would not cover the costs of installation.

"In some places a two- to three-mile linear roadway may only have five or six households," she says. Another under-served population, urban minorities, have other issues that restrict access, such as poverty and living in housing with substandard wiring.

The problems of connecting to the Information Highway were explored in a recent report for the Economic Policy Institute, "On Hold: Telecommunications in Rural America" that Glasmeier co-authored with doctoral student Lawrence E. Wood.

As Internet technology grows, the chasm between the haves and the have-nots is widening. Rural America finds itself at a disadvantage today when it comes to attracting businesses to areas with limited telecommunications. "There’s no question that business people say over and over again that "If I didn’t have a good telephone line, I wouldn’t be here,’" Glasmeier says. "We have to take that as a baseline."

Populations without Internet access cannot engage in e-commerce. They cannot buy the goods and services available online, nor can they work for an e-business. "They have to drive 50 miles to work at a factory somewhere," Glasmeier says. Some telecommunications companies have already taken the initiative to provide better access to remote areas but state and federal government, as well as community leaders, need to act now to prevent the gap from widening, Glasmeier says.

Areas with inadequate service need to be identified and addressed. Glasmeier proposes that minimum adequate standards of voice and data transmission need to be defined on a federal level and that adequate funding be made available to bring upgrades to underserved areas. Federally funded research and development of technology can help make Internet access more affordable.

"There are some technology developments on the frontier that could leap over limitations," she says, pointing to developments in wireless telecommunications, cell phones and satellite hookups.

There is also hope for better access in the form of deregulation, Glasmeier notes. Recent requests for state-level regulatory reforms by telecommunications providers have led to some progressive changes. Glasmeier cites a firm in Ohio seeking approval of a merger before the state utility commission. As part of the negotiations, a coalition of citizen’s groups and advocates parlayed provisions for services and technological capabilities in poorer communities. Similar programs have been negotiated in California as a condition for merger approvals.

Contact: Dr. Glasmeir can be reached at 814-865-7323.