Two Hamlets That Got High-Speed Lines Show Wildly Different Results

By Cecilia Kang

(Washington Post, April 23, 2009) In the southwest corner of Virginia, where tobacco farms meet the Appalachian Mountains, two towns desperately in need of an economic boost were given what many had hoped would be a kick-start: access to high-speed Internet. But there the paths of Lebanon and Rose Hill diverged. One attracted two large companies that created 700 good-paying jobs for residents. In the other, only a few home-based businesses got off the ground.

President Obama has touted broadband as a means toward transforming rural and low-income areas, setting aside $7.2 billion in the stimulus plan to help create jobs and close the “digital divide.” He has been joined in his support by a chorus of countries, including Australia, which recently said it would spend $31 billion laying fiber and other networks to get ahead in an emerging high-tech global economy.

Despite the support for publicly funded broadband networks — and the push by private companies to jump into the fray — some have questioned whether bringing high-speed Internet has a direct effect on jobs and the economy.  To read full article, please go to Rural Riddle: Do Jobs Follow Broadband Access?