The Time to Invest in Rural Infrastructure is NOW

by Todd Van Hoose, President and CEO, Farm Credit Council

Rural America is the backbone of our country. Yet many rural Americans today don’t have access to broadband and the fast internet speeds needed to conduct their businesses, access much needed telehealth services or, as we have seen over the last year, enable their children to access schoolwork. It’s time to invest and rebuild rural infrastructure; and rural broadband connection is an obvious place to start.

The ability to provide resources, such as highspeed internet access, and keep people in rural America equipped to produce the goods that keep our country moving is a critical factor in America’s international competitiveness. Losing that integrated network would threaten our leadership position in global trade.

This is why more than 260 organizations nationwide have joined together to form the Rebuild Rural Coalition. These institutions focus on ensuring that future infrastructure investments benefit rural families, rural communities, rural businesses and cooperatives, and U.S. agricultural producers. They understand that the infrastructure improvements required in rural America are fundamentally different from those required in urban areas. And together, they are working to ensure rural America receives its fair share of federal infrastructure funding.

Access to high-speed internet is vital for rural communities to maintain vibrant economies, healthy residents and a competitive agriculture sector in a variety of ways. And the need for nation-wide broadband access has only been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Economic Development: Lack of connectivity severely impairs communities’ potential to attract, retain and cultivate new businesses and residents. In today’s environment, there are few industries that do not rely heavily on the internet to perform their day to day operations.

Employment: Many people depend on broadband internet to identify and apply for new employment opportunities. The ability to connect via email and video conference also expands rural employment opportunities, allowing people to work remotely for companies across our country and around the world.

Education: Teachers across the nation are increasingly assigning homework and adopting education tools that require a broadband connection, and digital skills are an everyday part of school curriculums. Without access to the internet, rural youth face the potential of falling behind their urban and international counterparts.

Healthcare: Telehealth and remote diagnostic platforms bridge the healthcare gap for rural communities. Through high-speed internet, telemedicine applications enable real-time clinical care for geographically distant patients and providers. Reducing the commute time that rural residents endure to reach the healthcare services they need is more than convenient; it spares rural residents from taking extensive time off from work if they live hours from the nearest healthcare facility. This is especially important considering the high number of rural hospital closures over the last 15 years.

Agriculture: Precision agriculture allows farmers to leverage real-time data collected across a network of variables and sources to make quick and informed decisions. As farmers face challenges such as rising labor and input costs, intensifying global competition and adverse weather conditions, they need broadband access. Precision agriculture technologies enable farmers to increase yields while decreasing marginal costs. And America’s farmers and ranchers need every tool available to stay competitive in today’s economy.

Thinking about the big picture: Beyond reliable broadband, rural families also require access to safe drinking water, efficient transportation systems, accessible healthcare, increased housing options, updated agriculture research facilities and affordable energy.

The needs are many and the urgency high. We must stand together across organizations in support of improved access to broadband, as well as the other much needed infrastructure investments, to ensure a stronger rural America.

MidAtlantic Farm Credit understands their customers’ urgent need for improved access to rural broadband, and have advocated on behalf of their member-borrowers in a variety of ways over the years. For example: they supported legislation in Annapolis to allow rural electric co-ops to offer internet service; advocated for increased access and affordability in conjunction with the Pennsylvania State Council of Farm Organizations; and collaborated with specific industry partners like the Delmarva Chicken Association to identify and vet new ways to connect their customers.

“The MidAtlantic Farm Credit legislative team consistently prioritizes the issue of rural broadband in meetings with members of our Congressional delegation,” says Kurt Fuchs, Senior Vice President of Government Affairs for MidAtlantic Farm Credit. “We want our fellow community members to have access to this tool, which has become even more essential as we’ve navigated our way through the pandemic.”

As the cost of complacency increases, rural America demands the nation’s attention to address these infrastructure-related challenges. The needs specific to rural America continue to grow with time — and the longer we wait to make these investments, the more money it will cost. It is time we improve our nation’s rural infrastructure and, in so doing, empower rural communities and strengthen our economy. To learn more about the Rebuild Rural Coalition and Farm Credit's involvement, visit rebuildrural.com.