Scholars' Roundtable: The Effects of Expanding Broadband to Rural Areas
April 2011
Scholars discuss what we can expect from our investments in rural broadband
This forum conversation occurred in December and January of 2009-2010. The impetus for the dialogue was twofold: First, in 2009, the Obama Administration made major commitments through its programs at NTIA and the Rural Utilities Service (RUS) to enhance broadband for populations lacking adequate service; second, as a nation we continue to debate whether the market will, in fact, deliver adequate Internet services and whether government investment is required. With the recent mid-term elections and the prospect of renewed scrutiny of federal investments, the significance of the following conversation is greater than ever.
Four leading experts participated in the forum, responding both to one other and to moderated questions regarding broadband investment in the U.S., especially with respect to rural regions. The participants include: Shane Greenstein, Elinor and Wendell Hobbs Professor of Management and Strategy at the Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University; Ken Flamm, Dean Rusk Chair in International Affairs, University of Texas at Austin; Amy Glasmeier, Department of Urban Studies and Planning Department Head, MIT; and Bill Lehr, with the MIT Research Program on Internet & Telecoms Convergence, MIT, all well-respected scholars whose work on the economic and social impacts of broadband is frequently cited in academic and policy essays and the popular press. The moderator was Sharon Strover, Philip G. Warner Professor of Communication and director of the Telecommunications and Information Policy Institute, who recently worked with the Broadband Initiatives Program at the Rural Utility Services program and who also has written on telecommunications in rural regions.
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Local Voices - Leflore County
March 2011
"This report is intended to provide a snapshot of the job market and the local economy from the perspective of residents from Leflore County, Mississippi. The Southern Rural Development Center at Mississippi State University conducted countywide surveys in the fall of 2007 and 2009. The Center hopes the information presented in this brief offers insight for local officials who wish to expand jobs and economic development opportunities in Leflore County in future months."
Data Focus
Local Voices - Phillips County
March 2011
"This information brief is intended to provide a snapshot of jobs and the local economy from the perspective of local residents. The Southern Rural Development Center at Mississippi State University conducted countywide surveys in 2007 and 2009 in Phillips County, Arkansas. The Center has captured the views of local residents about the state of the county's economy. The information contained in this report offers insight with regards to the important economic opportunities and challenges that have affected Phillips County."
Data Focus
2010 Annual Report - New Partners, New Approaches
February 2011
We are pleased to announce that the 2010 SRDC Annual Report has now been released. The report captures the variety of Extension and Research activities that the Center has been spearheading over the past year, in partnership with its land-grant university colleagues and key external collaborators.
The report devotes special attention to the new RIDGE Center for Targeted Studies @ the SRDC that is sponsored by the USDA Economic Research Service, the Center's National e-Commerce Extension Initiative, the Stronger Economies Together (SET) program being supported by USDA Rural Development, the SRDC Community Data Center, and the Turning the Tide on Poverty integrated Research and Extension program being supported by the Farm Foundation, the Kettering Foundation, and Everyday Democracy.
We encourage you to take a few minutes to explore the highlights of the 2010 SRDC Annual Report.
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