Friday, Feb 11 2011 4:51PM
Many rural communities will soon be able to receive broadband internet access for the first time.
The Federal Communications Commission announced that it is proposing new rules that can help expand broadband internet service to rural communities.
About 24 million Americans currently live in areas that do not have access to broadband service, leaving many people falling behind in the digital age. The rule change proposed by the FCC would take the $8 million in government subsidies reserved for land line telephone service through the Universal Service Fund to fund the expansion, which is paid for by fees tacked on to consumers' telephone bills.
In an open meeting FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski said the rural community assistance program will equalize relations between rural and urban Americans.
"We won't fully realize the promise of broadband and the fundamental promise of American opportunity if large swaths of our country are left out," he said.
To help bring the most up-to-date technologies to rural areas, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has initiated various grant programs that can help outlying communities receive better internet access more electronic educational resources and telemedicine services.