With the proposed Broadband Stimulus plan, set forth by the Federal Government to enable rural areas of the country to have access to high-speed Internet services. An old fear has arisen, the erosion of community interactions in small town America. The theory was always that community involvement and participation would be lost forever as end users sought out their own virtual communities of shared interest over the Internet. After a decade of research, however, just the opposite appears to be true. Studies have shown that Internet use increased civic engagement and community participation. In fact the concern now is that those with dial up services are being left out of community activities as it is a greater challenge for them to access information, through slow unreliable dial-up connections. Satellite Internet seems to be the logical platform to enable rural customers to receive high-speed Internet access, because of the way it is delivered. Cable and DSL providers would most assuredly have already supplied services in many rural areas, had they deemed it financial advantageous. The fact is, they don't and Satellite Internet offers the opportunity for all rural homes to have reliable high-speed service. Satellite Internet will allow rural customers to use the Internet to receive information via e-mail from organizations, or search out information for groups they are interested in. Using this Broadband technology will increase the levels of passive and active community involvement. Further, there is strong evidence that the quality of Internet access is also vital to a community's sociological well-being and has no limitations as to income, age, education, or race. Communities that are reliant on the interaction and volunteerism of its citizens may in fact suffer or at least be at a disadvantage by not adopting broadband technologies, compared to communities that do. Sluggish dial-up services have been found to diminish daily Internet use, slow the development in becoming proficient with Internet capabilities and negatively impact their willingness to contribute to their local community. There has been enough research to this point to accurately confirm the economical, educational, and social benefits of high-speed broadband Internet access.
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