Bob Krause, Democratic Candidate for the U. S. Senate, said today that he would work for expanded internet access for rural American when elected to the United States Senate.  “We need to sustain the rural life style and make it competitive with urban America if we are to halt the long, slow collapse of rural Iowa,” said Krause.

Iowa has pockets of territory in the northwestern part of the state with relatively high internet access, said Krause.  However, eastern Iowa has large areas with very little access to high speed internet,  as shown on the map in this map

“If we want to have a vibrant, sustainable rural America, instead of the hollowing out that we see today, we need to make high quality internet broadband service a priority,” said Krause.   “The slow growth in rural broadband in the face of the current recession indicates a real need that must to be met,” he added.

According to the USDA Census of Agriculture, the percentage of U.S. farms with high speed Internet access varies considerably….Iowa is above the national average with approximately 4 in 10 farmers having access to the new technology.

Over 2.2 million farms were included in the census. Growth in broadband to rural America has been slow…. Of all farms in the U. S., only 33% now have broadband.

Krause added that expansion of internet service is a prime stimulus project that would add jobs while creating a rural economic infrastructure suitable for the rural economy in the 21st century. 

“Small town businesses as well as farmers should be able to take advantage of this and expand their markets,” stated Krause.

Krause referred to a recent report by the Knight Commission on Community Information Needs in a Democracy.  The report equates the national broadband project to the creation of the transcontinental railroad or the creation of the interstate highway system as a building block for a better America. 

 “This is a project that has broad national support,” he said.  “We just need to do it!”