Social Distancing Showing Disparity in Rural Broadband Access

With college students completing the rest of the semester online, alongside parents and relatives who are also working from home, demand for bandwidth is high. Missouri Farm Bureau President Blake Hurst says residents in counties under stay-at-home orders may find it difficult to telecommute in areas that still lack access to rural broadband.

Hurst says the call for social distancing, along with hospitals bracing for a rise in illnesses caused by coronavirus, have impacted rural clinics.

According to Missouri Farm Bureau, the state ranks 41st in the nation in broadband connectivity, with over a million rural residents lacking access to high-speed internet.