There has been a lot of progress made in connecting rural America with high-speed internet.
However, one economist says that there is still a ways to go.
According to Jeff Johnston, an economist with Ecobank, “We’re moving in the right direction, but we’re not where we need to be quite yet. There is $42.5 billion that was earmarked out of the Infrastructure, Investment, and Jobs Act, and specifically, it’s the BEAD Program within that piece of legislation, and that’s really exciting. That’s an unprecedented amount of capital, an unprecedented amount of money that the government has set aside to support building out rural broadband networks to get those who are not connected connected.”
One of the largest obstacles with connectivity is getting the copper wiring laid out in rural areas.
Johnston says the BEAD Program has not made much progress yet, but says that he is hoping more can be done in the coming months.
Jim Matheson, CEO of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, provides new updates on winter storm impacts and the outlook for rural power reliability.
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Jessi Grote from the AgriSafe Network provides winter safety guidance for rural communities still recovering from the recent winter storm.
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CattleCon 2026 officially kicks off Tuesday and continues through Thursday, bringing producers together to shape the future of the U.S. cattle industry.
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The federal government’s status is far from the only factor moving the markets on Friday. Two critical reports released today on producer inflation and the status of the U.S. cattle herd are also top of mind.
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The changing political climate in America is leading to a drop in migrant crossings near the U.S.-Mexico border, where ranchers like Dr. Mike Vickers say they witnessed horrors from death to child trafficking.
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Record milk output looks strong today, but shrinking replacement numbers mean future supply adjustments could be faster and more volatile.
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