Advanced Telecommunications in Rural America: The Challenge of Bringing Broadband Service to All Americans

Excerpts from the report: The report provides an overview of broadband technologies and the deployment of these technologies. As yet, there are no comprehensive, publicly available surveys or studies documenting broadband deployment across the nation. NTIA and RUS staff therefore provided this overview by drawing on a variety of sources including electrical engineering texts, professional and trade journals, specialized studies, and discussions with rural communication providers, Regional Bell Operating Companies (RBOCs), cable TV providers, terrestrial and satellite wireless communication companies, and state regulators. These discussions were supplemented with an examination of industry supplied information pertaining to current and future deployment of broadband services, where available. This report finds that rural areas are currently lagging far behind urban areas in broadband availability. Deployment in rural towns (populations of fewer than 2,500) is more likely to occur than in remote areas outside of towns. These latter areas present a special challenge for broadband deployment. Only two technologies, cable modem and digital subscriber line (DSL), are being deployed at a high rate, but the deployment is occurring primarily in urban markets. Broadband over cable, which provides most broadband service, has been deployed in large cities, suburban areas, and towns. One survey found that, while less than five percent of towns of 10,000 or less have cable modem service, more than 65 percent of all cities with populations over 250,000 have such service.