Increased government funding and infrastructure improvements have facilitated recent expansions of broadband services in rural America, though industry experts assert additional advancements are required.
In a Jan. 12 panel discussion during the 2021 American Farm Bureau Federation Virtual Convention, farmers and telecommunications experts examined the difficulties farming communities face due to broadband shortages.
According to the Federal Communications Commissionâs 2020 broadband deployment report, 22.3 percent of rural Americans lack broadband services, which panelists concurred is of extreme detriment to some farmers and their communities.
âToday, farmers who can be the most efficient with their time and can best use available resources and data are the ones who are going to be successful,â Jackie Mundt, a cow-calf and grain producer from Preston, Kansas, noted during the âStaying Connected in a Virtual Worldâ session.