Two major pieces of legislation in 2021-the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA)-targeted tens of billions of dollars toward efforts to bring broadband connections to rural and low-income communities. The results could prove so transformative that the bills have been compared to those supporting rural electrification in the 1930s. Perhaps future historians might call this new drive rural "internet-ification." Understanding just how broadly the funding could affect Americans' lives begins with getting a grip on how much of the country is considered "rural." The U.S. Census Bureau applies the term to an area that doesn't fit its definition of "urban." With this definition, the 2020 U.S. Census counted more than approximately 20% of the nations population-more than 60 million residents-living in rural areas, which represents 97% of the nation's land- mass. Currently, more than 18 million Americans, primarily in these rural areas, lack access to broadband internet. "Most of the issues are about building new infrastructure," said Kathryn de Wit, project director for the Pew Charitable Trusts' Broadband Access Initiative. Some affected rural residents may have a limited level of internet connectivity through satellite services, a DSL line or just their smartphone's cell service, but these options fall short of a true broadband connection, with a minimum speed of 25 megabits per second (Mbps) for data download and 3 Mbps for data upload-or 25/3 Mbps, for short.
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