City of Laurie, Missouri

Sometimes each of us through research find a gem. Amber Waves, a quarterly publication by USDA's Economic Research Service had a feature titled "Broadband Internet Service Helping Create a Rural Digital Economy"

Three Key Points of the article included:

Broadband - highspeed internet - is less commonly used in rural than urban settings due to higher provision costs and more limited availability in rural areas. WELL Duh!!! Then you need to get the municipality involved as we have in Laurie.

Rural counties with broadband internet service in 2000 had greater subsequent employment and income growth than similar rural counties without service.THE REASON TO DO IT.

Rural citizens, businesses, and communities credit broadband internet use with providing social and economic benefits.

The main points I took away as your mayor is especially in the areas of education and medicine significant gains can be achieved in the work force in terms of increased income and permancy of jobs. More accessable health information, products, and services confer real economic benefits on rural communities such as ours, reducing transportation time and expenses, treating emergencies more effectively, reducing time missed from work, increasing lab & pharmacy work, with savings to health facilities from outsourcing procedures. One study of 24 rural hospitals placed the annual cost of not having telemedicine at $370,000 per hospital. With our constiuentcy so far away I am pleased that the board took the steps last night to assure us of Broadband Highspeed Wireless Internet. I will continue to travel and read up on your behalf.

Mayor Chuck