The arrival of high-speed broadband access to the Internet is having the same effect on rural America as the arrival of electricity and telephone service: It is transformational.

Unlike businesspeople in urban areas where sources of information are plentiful and the ability to reach a client or colleague might be as simple as walking down the street to their office, those of us who live in rural communities have had to rely on scattered service and dial-up email to contact those same associates.

From small businesses in rural towns to family farms and ranches, high-speed mobile broadband access is critical. Everyone benefits from being connected. Small businesses with broadband access can locate, buy and sell the latest offerings and local manufacturers can reach out to markets in Europe and Asia at the click of a button. Similarly this access allows my fellow farmers and ranchers to make critical decisions regarding the purchasing of seed, fertilizer or feed, and when best to market crops or livestock.

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