Access to high speed internet service, or broadband, is increasingly seen by many policymakers as a necessity for community vitality. This feature includes comments from Dee Davis, Center for Rural Strategy, on the center’s findings that rural communities will be economically crippled without access to high speed internet; a brief check in with Lisa Fanin from Mountain Telephone on this east KY coop’s progress implementing a broadband stimulus infrastructure grant; and Christopher Mitchell from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance who talks about the importance of supporting local providers.   [wpdm_file id=100]