Rural

More than 18 months later, many of those rural communities are still waiting for broadband. That is because a little-known Las Vegas company that won a bid to implement the program missed filing deadlines and failed to secure regulatory approvals needed to receive the money. The situation serves as a cautionary tale as the federal government rolls out yet another costly program—this one with a price tag of $42.5 billion—to deploy broadband to rural areas. “It’s frustrating to see that there were dollars…

Credit: Shutterstock As Australia continues to take on refugees from Ukraine, education experts are calling for essential supports as new research from the University of South Australia shows that rural and regional schools can be under-resourced and ill-prepared to support refugee children and their families. …

Wall Street Journal: Analysis: 50%+ of the areas covered by the FCC's Rural Digital Opportunity Fund had been fully or partially covered by at least one prior US broadband program — Flaws in government programs have left some residents behind — The U.S. government has spent billions of dollars on several rounds … Wall Street Journal: Analysis: 50%+ of the areas covered by the FCC's Rural Digital Opportunity Fund had been fully or partially covered by at least one prior US…

The U.S. government has spent billions of dollars on several rounds of programs to upgrade internet speeds in rural areas over the past decade. Despite those efforts, many residents are still stuck with service that isn’t fast enough to do video calls or stream movies—speeds that most take for granted. Many communities have been targeted for broadband upgrades at least twice already, but flaws in the programs’ design have left residents wanting.…

Ghost forests—areas of trees recently killed by rising saltwater—are a clear sign of sea-level rise and marsh migration into rural land. Credit: Dr. Matt Kirwan/VIMS It's hotly debated whether coastal wetlands can survive sea-level rise by migrating inland. A new analysis using highly detailed elevation maps of the Chesapeake Bay region shows that—contrary to previous studies—human barriers will do little to slow this marsh…

The U.S. government wants fast EV-charging stations every 50 miles along major highways. Some Western states say the odds of making that work are as remote as their rugged landscapes.States including Utah, Wyoming, Montana, New Mexico and Colorado are raising concerns about rules the Biden administration has proposed for receiving a share of the coming $5 billion in federal funding to help jump-start a national EV-charging network. The states say it will be difficult, if not impossible, to run EV chargers along desolate…

Throughout the pandemic, the SARS-CoV-2 virus has laid bare weak points in the world’s health care systems. This has been true in arguably every country and every community, but the fractures have been especially apparent in rural areas, where poor access to health care long predated the pandemic. In this three-part story, Undark explores the gaps in rural health care systems around the world, following the daily work of a village health worker in a small township in central Zimbabwe; a newly graduated rural doctor on a…

After Silifatu Adefila concluded her weekend chores at 11 a.m. on February 26, she dashed to Oja Oba, a market newly created by the Olusin of Ijara-Isin, the traditional ruler of her small town in the southern part of Kwara State, North-central Nigeria. Mrs Adefila’s mission was not to buy or sell at the market but to get vouchers usually shared by the king at the market every Saturday. “Kabiyesi will soon be at the market to distribute money,” Ms Adefila said in Igbomina, a Yoruba…

Quality of rural roads should be at par with that of national highways, Union Rural Development Minister Giriraj Singh has said while asserting that roads constructed under the PMGSY are the lifeline of villages. Addressing the International Conference – ‘New Technologies and Innovations in Rural Roads’, Singh advocated for the use of green technologies especially using waste as it makes the road construction more environment friendly. New technologies like full depth reclamation, cement treated sub base,…

Written by Owen Hughes, Senior Editor…