Rural America has not kept up with cities and suburbs in getting good broadband internet. Even though things have gotten better, many rural areas still lack fast internet because of their geography and infrastructure. About 41% of people served by the wireless company UScellular live in rural places, showing how big the problem is. The land itself often makes it hard to install fiber networks, and houses are far apart, which can make building networks expensive and slow.
Fiber networks provide fast internet but are not always possible by themselves. For example, Iowa might need almost $400 million more if it tries to use only fiber to reach everyone. Missouri and Virginia have received money to help pay for fiber, but the cost per house is more than twice what experts say it should be.
Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) uses wireless signals to give broadband in places where it’s too expensive or hard to put wires. FWA helps fill in gaps in broadband and cell phone coverage in rural areas. UScellular uses a mix of fiber, wireless, and satellite technologies, because one type alone can’t solve all problems. Leaders are encouraged to support flexible plans that use different technologies to help many kinds of rural areas.
The government has put $65 billion into broadband through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). This money is meant to help rural and low-income areas get better internet. States are encouraged to use this money in many ways, not just for fiber networks.
Some states have started new ways to bring broadband to remote places. Vermont, for example, has groups called Communications Union Districts and electric co-ops that build fiber networks using money from the community. These models help keep internet service affordable and reliable. This is important for medical offices that need good internet for telehealth and electronic health records (EHR).
But just providing internet is not enough. The U.S. Department of Education’s 2024 National Educational Technology Plan (NETP) points out three digital divides in rural schools: access, design, and use. Access means having the devices and internet. Design means teachers knowing how to use technology well. Use means students actually using digital tools to learn. This shows the need for digital skills programs as well as making technology available.
Good broadband needs to be matched with training people in technology jobs to build strong digital economies. From 2021 to 2031, jobs in computer and math fields are expected to grow 15.5% nationwide, faster than most jobs. Rural workers in these fields earned an average of $78,843 in 2022, which is much higher than the average rural wage of $48,536. This shows there is money and chance for rural tech jobs to grow.
Students and workers in rural areas often have trouble getting computer science education. But new learning options like associate degrees, coding boot camps, and certificates make tech jobs easier to get outside big cities. For example, Jordan Davis from Emporia, Kansas, started in a low-level job at a telecom company and moved up to lead security at Emporia State University after training at a local technical college.
Medical offices in rural areas can gain from hiring people with tech skills. These workers can help run electronic record systems, manage patient portals, and support telehealth services better. Training staff to use technology well can make operations run more smoothly.
Rural startups focusing on technology have been getting a lot more money from investors. From 2018 to 2022, venture capital funding for rural tech companies grew 338%, from $891 million to $3.9 billion. This shows more belief in the potential of rural tech companies.
Sho Rust, for example, started Sho.ai, an AI software company in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. Using local internet and skilled workers, Sho.ai has grown well and attracted money from outside the area even though it is far from major tech centers.
For healthcare managers, this means there is a chance to work with new companies that make tech focused on rural health needs. Supporting local startups can bring in new tools that fit rural patients better, like AI for office automation, remote patient monitoring, and telehealth systems.
One important way to solve healthcare tech problems in rural areas is by using AI and automation. Rural medical offices often have fewer staff and find it hard to handle patient communication well. AI phone systems, like those from Simbo AI, can help with this.
AI phone automation can schedule appointments, remind patients, sort calls by urgency, and answer common questions without tiring out staff. This reduces missed appointments, keeps patients more involved, and lets staff focus on important tasks. Simbo AI fits smoothly with existing medical office software, improving phone management and patient satisfaction while following health privacy rules.
Automation also cuts down missed calls, especially after office hours, which is very important in rural areas where patients might not have other ways to reach their doctor. Improving appointment scheduling and communication can lead to better health results and steadier income for the practice.
AI can also analyze patient data to help staff reach the right patients, find who needs follow-up, and offer virtual helpers for guiding patients before or after visits. When combined with better broadband, these tools work well and help rural clinics keep up with modern healthcare standards.
Using new technology in rural areas, especially in farming and healthcare, brings social and ethical questions. AI and robots are changing jobs by splitting work into high-skill and low-skill tasks. This is clear in farming but also happens in healthcare, where new skills are needed for managing data and telemedicine.
Some worry that automation could push out vulnerable workers by putting control in the hands of big companies. For rural medical managers, it’s important to train staff well so technology supports good care instead of making things harder.
Responsible innovation means being careful about both good and bad effects of new technology. It’s important to make sure everyone has fair access to technology and can use it. Also, patient comfort with digital tools matters, and human help should be available when needed.
Experiences from rural internet projects show that no single technology solves all rural internet problems. Using only fiber is expensive and hard in some places. Only satellite service can have delays and problems with weather.
Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) helps by providing broadband where fiber can’t reach. Satellite connections are important backups. Together, these technologies help close gaps in healthcare, education, and local business.
Healthcare leaders should get involved in community broadband projects and work with providers that use different technologies together. This teamwork helps medical offices keep online services running, like electronic claims, e-prescriptions, and telehealth.
Partnerships between public and private groups, local governments, schools, and tech companies have helped widen access and skills. The 2024 National Educational Technology Plan supports these partnerships for broadband and digital training.
Medical offices can join these efforts to help patients learn how to use patient portals, telemedicine, and AI phone systems. Teaching staff digital skills also helps new technology fit into daily work better.
Working together, rural communities can build lasting support for technology that helps healthcare and does not leave anyone out.
Medical managers, owners, and IT staff in rural America face many challenges with technology access and use. Solving the digital divide needs many kinds of technology together: fiber, fixed wireless, and satellite, plus flexible funding and teamwork. Training and new education paths grow the number of skilled tech workers to support advanced healthcare.
AI and automation, like Simbo AI’s phone systems, help rural healthcare offices communicate and work better, matching local needs. Being aware of ethical issues makes sure new technology helps everyone.
By using these plans, rural healthcare providers can get better internet, improve patient care, and keep their services running well in a digital world.
UScellular aims to close the digital divide so that all of America, especially rural areas, can participate in the growing digital economy by ensuring reliable connectivity for all.
An ‘all of the above’ approach is crucial as it combines various technologies—fixed wireless, fiber, and satellite—to address unique regional challenges, ensuring comprehensive connectivity.
UScellular serves a population that is 41% rural, emphasizing its commitment to providing services in difficult-to-reach areas.
Challenges include vast distances between homes, varied topography, and specific land use, making traditional fiber deployment complicated and often insufficient.
FWA complements fiber networks by addressing both broadband and mobility gaps simultaneously, offering a versatile solution for hard-to-reach areas.
Many states face significant funding shortfalls when relying solely on a fiber-based approach, necessitating flexibility in technology deployment to ensure widespread connectivity.
Technology is seen as the great equalizer; access to it correlates with access to essential services like healthcare and education.
A mix of technologies can be strategically deployed where each is most effective, addressing unique regional connectivity needs and maximizing resources.
The BEAD program aims to provide broadband solutions tailored to rural areas, emphasizing the need for technological flexibility to bridge connectivity gaps.
The key takeaway is the importance of collaboration among stakeholders—government, industry, and community—to address connectivity issues using a combination of approaches.
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