The Cost of Bringing Broadband to Rural Homes

Back in the last presidential election, President Obama (partly) campaigned on expanding broadband access to rural areas. Thanks to the stimulus package, he was able to accomplish some of that. Up in northern Minnesota, where the median household income is between $40,100 and $50,900 and the median house worth is between $94,400 and $189,000, broadband access was given via the government. It was free for anyone, however. How much did it cost, you’re asking? $349,234. Per household. While it’s good that broadband access was given and expanded, did it really need to cost that much? That’s not even the worst price. Over in Montana, in a place where broadband access is scarce, it cost the government $7 million per household to bring broadband access to those homes. Again, it’d be stupid to be against bringing broadband to more homes, but is it really worth that much money? You can read the paper done on this here, and an article with a little more information on it here.