Bridging the Rural Digital Divide: Achieving Connectivity in the Countryside

Over 90% of Americans in urban and suburban areas enjoy access to high-speed broadband internet. However, only 65% of rural households can connect to the digital world through fast and reliable internet [1].

This "digital divide" limits economic opportunity, access to education and healthcare, and participation in modern society for rural citizens. Fortunately, improving wireless technologies offer new promise for addressing the rural internet gap.

This guide delves into the challenges, options, and real-world solutions for bridging the rural digital divide.

The Stubborn Rural Internet Gap

Despite expansive 5G marketing campaigns from major cellular carriers, the rural internet deficit persists year after year.

Let‘s examine a few key statistics:

• Only 63% of rural Americans say they have broadband internet access at home compared to 79% of urban residents [2].
• Rural users suffer 3X higher rates of no available internet options relative to non-rural county residents [3].
• Over 30% of potential rural customers lack either fixed or cellular broadband suitsble for advanced telemedicine applications [4].

Table showing average rural internet speeds and monthly costs compared to urban connections.

Note the substantially slower speeds accompanied by 35-90% higher monthly costs facing most rural users.

These gaps originate from the lack of broadband infrastructure investment made in sparsely populated regions. Running miles of fiber or coaxial cable costs tens of thousands per mile – difficult for providers to justify recovering.

Do pockets exist where rural residents enjoy cheap gigabit connections? Sure. But for vast swaths of rural citizens, fast internet at reasonable prices remains woefully absent.

Before resigning country living to the days of dial-up modems, let‘s explore modern solutions delivering true broadband to the countryside.

Fixed Wireless Broadband Emerges

Breakthroughs in wireless transmission technologies present new opportunities for rural internet connectivity.

Fixed wireless internet connections offer speeds rivalling and potentially exceeding cable internet. Modern fixed wireless plans advertise speeds up to 100Mbps or higher with some equipment supporting up to 1Gbps throughput [5].

So how does fixed wireless work?

Fixed wireless networks utilize point-to-point radio links consisting of:

• A transmission hub mounted on a radio tower, water tower, or other elevated structure.
• Customer premise equipment typically involving a small receiver dish mounted outdoors.

Data transmits between the central hub and customer equipment using beams of microwave radiation or modulated radio waves travelling through the air hence the "wireless" nature.

What are the pros and cons of this approach?

Advantages of fixed wireless internet:

• Offers true high-speed broadband connectivity matching or beating DSL/cable
• Bypasses the need to trench miles of buried fiber optic or coaxial lines
• Costs roughly 50% less than laying physical wires, reducing infrastructure costs
• Can leverage and scale existing cellular network towers
• Easier to add customers by simply installing additional dishes as demand grows

Disadvantages include:

• Requires direct line-of-sight between hub and household dish, limiting eligibility
• Home equipment installation presents some complexity and cost
• Heavy rain/snowstorms can temporarily degrade or disrupt connectivity
• Latency generally higher than physical wireline connections

While some limitations exist, fixed wireless emerges as a promising solution for delivering speedy internet throughout the countryside.

Let‘s examine several more ways rural residents can get connected.

Leveraging Low Orbit Satellites

Historically satellites delivered slow, expensive rural internet prone to disruption during adverse weather.

However, a new wave of low-orbit satellite internet promises improved performance and availability.

Companies like SpaceX Starlink, Amazon‘s Kuiper, OneWeb, and others race toward blanketing the globe with networks of small, low orbit satellites.

How do low orbit satellite networks overcome previous limitations?

• Orbiting between 250 to 750 miles high, 80-90% closer to earth resulting in faster speeds and lower latency
• Small profile satellites minimize impact of weather disruptions
• Launching hundreds to thousands of extra satellites provides connectivity redundancy
• Low orbit design enables targeting remote users other systems cannot reach
• Can scale total network capacity faster by launching additional satellites
• Chips and phased array antennas developed enabling fast steering between satellites

As an example, SpaceX Starlink‘s Gen2 satellites launching by late 2023 will deliver:

• Speeds between 100Mbps and 200Mpbs
• Latency below 45ms facilitating video calls, online gaming, etc.
• Just 1-3 minutes of daily outage time due to satellite transitions or weather events
• Significantly lower cost terminal/equipment pricing under $500

Coupled with monthly subscription rates dropping as low as $40 per month, low orbit satellite stands to finally fulfill rural user needs.

What limitations still remain?

• Requires reasonably clear views to the sky to avoid obstruction
• Performance subject to density of satellites above location at any time
• Polar latitudes above 50?? see more frequent gaps in coverage
• Early terminal equipment costs still run ~$700 for wider public beta testing

If continued technological improvements meet deployment targets, low orbit satellite promises a rural connectivity revolution.

Exploring TV White Space Potential

TV white spaces describe the unused frequencies between active television bandwidths historically leveraged by wireless microphones and other devices.

This spectrum was recently approved for rural broadband usage – with very intriguing properties for covering large rural expanses.

Consider the following TV white space attributes:

• Frequencies ranging between 50 to 700MHz traverse rugged terrain with fewer towers
• Signals propagate through vegetation more readily than other wireless spectra
• Non line-of-sight transmission supported enabling wider coverage areas
• Long 10+ mile transmission ranges feasible between base stations
• Leverages highly directional, targeted ‘beamforming‘ antennas

In practical terms, these traits allow deploying broadband internet that reaches the most remote valley residents. Even if not in direct sight of towers and hindered by hills and woods, TV white space technology finds a path.

And this isn‘t just theoretical potential. Farmers in rural Virginia tested Surry TV White Space internet service achieving speeds up to 100Mbps [6]. Other WISPs or wireless internet service providers gear up to deliver rural internet supported via TV white space spectrum across the country.

What‘s the catch?

• Technology remains early in maturity with wider ongoing field trials
• Total bandwidth per base station capped due to fixed spectrum allocation
• Few commercial providers exist though this steadily improves

With further development and licensing, TV white space internet might soon connect the most rugged and isolated rural settings.

Additional Options for Rural Connectivity

Beyond the major advances in wireless and satellite technologies discussed above, a few additional options exist for obtaining rural broadband internet access.

LTE/5G Fixed Wireless

Major cell carriers continue expanding their tower-based cellular networks. In many rural areas,fixed receiver equipment can now take advantage of these LTE and 5G cellular signals for home internet connectivity.

Speeds generally range from 25 to 85Mbps down and 10 to 20Mpbs up, fast enough for most households [7]. Data caps limiting monthly usage to 50GB to 150GB present the main downside.

DIY Mesh Networking

Residents band together to create community mesh networks extending internet connectivity throughout a rural area. Participants donate spare bandwidth and connect routers to form an interconnected wireless network.

Speeds and reliability depend on number of volunteers and participation levels. But meshes enable basic internet where none existed previously through grassroots action.

Microwave Line-of-Sight Links

Using high gain directional antennas and wireless bridge devices, DIY enthusiasts send signals between mountaintops as far as 50 miles away. This allows daisy chaining connections from locations with broadband access to more remote regions.

Latency and weather impact links, but clever tinkerers piece together connectivity this way.

Tips for Choosing Rural Internet Providers

When evaluating rural broadband options:

• Confirm service actually reaches your location – availability remains location dependent
• Compare speeds – satellite and cellular offer 10-30Mbps while fixed wireless and low orbit satellite can deliver 100+Mbps
• Research weather/storm impact to avoid satellite-only if high uptime critical
• Factor in data caps – satellite and cellular commonly limit monthly data usage
• Consider ease of setup – no dishes or antennas preferred if feasible
• Ask about customer service responsiveness – smaller rural ISPs typically struggle here
• Check for state/federal rural subsidies – up to $100 monthly subsidies possible

Shopping wisely helps rural residents secure the best internet experience possible while the technological landscape continues improving.

The Outlook for Rural Broadband Achieving True Connectivity

The internet revolution largely passed rural America by throughout the 80s, 90s, and 2000s despite governmental efforts like the 1996 Telecommunications Act and the 2009 Broadband Stimulus package [8].

But the 2020s show legitimate promise of rectifying this longstanding digital divide.

New wireless technologies and community lead initiatives brings true high-speed internet within reach to even the most isolated country settings.

Consider the following positive developments:

• Low orbit satellite racing toward 400Mbps speeds at competitive pricing
• TV white space, LTE and 5G buildouts extending wireless connectivity
• Grassroots digital inclusion efforts sprouting up
• Up to $100 monthly FCC subsidies available to qualified households
• State governments increasingly prioritizing rural broadband funding

Do challenges remain? Sure. Complex terrain, sparse populations, and tight budgets won‘t disappear overnight.

However for the first time, rural Americans can see multiple feasible paths to obtaining fast, reliable home internet on par with suburban dwellers.

The digital divide may never fully close. But through choice fostered by technological progress, rural users will continue accessing the vital connectivity enabling participation in the 21st century economy and society.

The rural internet gap persists but narrow options exist to bridge this divide.