Contact: Robert LaRose, Telecommunication, Information Studies and Media, (517) 353-6336; or Russ White, University Relations, (517) 432-0923, whiterus@msu.edu

9/30/2004

EAST LANSING, Mich. – Assessing whether high-speed Internet connections revitalize rural America or serve as an electronic pipeline that drains the vitality out of small communities is the focus of a new $408,000 Michigan State University research project.

The research is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) under its National Research Initiative program.

Robert LaRose, professor in MSU’s Department of Telecommunication, Information Studies and Media Department, is working with researchers at the University of Louisville and the University of Texas to determine the barriers to broadband Internet access in rural areas and the effects it will have on rural communities.

“High-speed Internet usage is lagging in rural areas even where it is available,” says LaRose. “We need to find out why that is. If we do not, rural Americans could fall into a new digital divide that will make them second-class citizens in an information society.”

Broadband Internet access could help rural residents telecommute to urban jobs; market local products and services across state and national boundaries; and improve their access to education, recreation and government services. But improved access could also supplant local merchants with e-commerce, provide a conduit for rural job seekers wishing to migrate to urban areas and import urban vices.

“We need to identify the effects of high-speed Internet connections while there is still time to shape the technology to serve rural areas like Huron County,” adds LaRose.

Huron County was chosen for the study because it is the site of a broadband Internet access project also funded by USDA through Air Advantage. Broadband Internet access is relatively new to most areas of Huron County. Any resident can have free high-speed access to the Internet at local schools and libraries, but that is typically limited to one-hour sessions, and home access is still rare. However, Huron County offers a variety of Internet service providers and local information providers, so a basic infrastructure is in place.

This fall, the researchers will interview patrons of public Internet access locations in Huron County and organizations that provide online content for local residents. They also will conduct a survey of Huron County residents to identify barriers to home broadband adoption. In the spring, a mail survey will be sent to 400 county residents. Those results will be compared with a follow-up survey in the spring of 2008 to track the effects of Internet adoption over time.