Alex Milan Tracy for Underscore
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The dozens of independent, nonprofit and nonpartisan news organizations that make up the Rural News Network are developing the broadest news alliance reporting on rural America. These newsrooms are pursuing coverage that provides a more complete picture of what it means to live and work in these communities.
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LATEST NEWS FROM THE NETWORK
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Broadband Committee is collecting service data via survey
April 11, 2024
The committee hopes to tap into federal BEAD (Broadband Equity, Access and Development) funds that could help extend service into less densely populated sections of town.
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1.7 million Texas households are set to lose monthly internet subsidy
April 02, 2024
The Affordable Connectivity Program provides a $30 monthly subsidy to help low-income households pay for internet service. Rural leaders worry ending the government subsidies could shrink the rural customer base and make those areas even less attractive to internet companies.
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Kent named “Best Remote-Work” town by Yankee magazine
March 21, 2024
Kent, earning a top spot, was reported to have a median home value of $509,500. For that money, emigres can expect to enjoy beautiful surroundings, fine dining opportunities, world-class galleries, “robust internet” — and ready access to New York City.
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Rural Texans, internet providers worry that feds’ broadband expansion plan will have a painfully slow rollout
February 14, 2024
A historic $3.3 billion federal investment in broadband could connect millions of Texans to the internet. But getting the money to the right hands could be a challenge.
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Access to mental health care in Western NC only partially helped by telehealth
January 24, 2024
NC mountain counties struggle to recruit mental health specialists. Telehealth helps bridge the gap, but won’t work for all patients.
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Challenges in the fields of NC: labor protection and the digital gap among farmworkers
January 15, 2024
The survey conducted by Enlace Latino NC reveals the main concerns in the fields of North Carolina, starting with seeking safeguards against chemicals and extreme conditions. But the lack of internet access limits their ability to obtain vital information and health services.
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Research and Analysis: Rural Internet Subscribers Pay More, New Data Confirms
November 28, 2023
Just because the internet is available doesn’t mean people can afford it. Will funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act help close the price gap that keeps some families from using broadband?
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Every state is about to dole out federal funding for broadband internet – not every state is ready for the task
November 20, 2023
The states have until Dec. 27 of this year to submit initial proposals to the federal government laying out how they will distribute billions of dollars. As of Nov. 15, no state had completed that process.
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State health leaders look to close digital divide for farmworkers
October 31, 2023
The National Institutes of Health is funding a state project to improve internet access for agricultural workers and their families.
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Merger Creates Internet Company Serving Rural Areas in Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma
October 24, 2023
An expert says that maintaining local control is paramount when combining companies providing internet services to small, rural communities.
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Broadband is Critical for Rural Education. $1 Billion Won’t Be Enough To Reach Everyone in Washington State
October 16, 2023
Roughly 236,000 Washington households don’t have internet access, many in rural areas. A forthcoming $1.2 billion in federal funding will fill some of the gaps, but probably won’t be enough to get internet to everyone who needs it.
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In rural Mitchell County, telehealth thrives in one town, falters in another
October 12, 2023
Even though remote health care has not been widely adopted in Mitchell County, there are signs of success in one clinic that prioritized connecting with the rural culture in this mountain region.
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Pandemic brings telehealth boom to rural Wisconsin, but barriers linger
October 10, 2023
Physician shortages and broadband gaps hinder access to care. Some gains could be lost if certain pandemic-era telehealth flexibilities expire.
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Black churches play a key role in connecting communities to broadband internet
October 06, 2023
Black clergy and faith leaders in the rural South have been working for years to bridge the digital divide in their communities and congregations, and a pandemic-era federal program gave those efforts a boost by offering discounted internet access. But fewer than half of the estimated 49 million Americans who are eligible have enrolled, and now questions loom about the program’s long-term funding by Congress.
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‘Not a luxury.’ Fresno County residents call for major investments in broadband internet access
July 19, 2023
Residents say poor internet connectivity hampers students and local businesses.
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