Rural libraries trail urban ones when it comes to offering high-speed Internet, Justine Brown reports for Government Technology. A report by the American Library Association found that 98 percent of libraries offer free wireless Internet, up from 89 percent in 2012, but 20 percent of rural libraries have broadband speeds of 1.5Mbps or slower. Only 10 percent of all libraries have such slow speeds.
Rural libraries are also slower in making improvements, Brown writes. "Less than half of rural libraries reported they increased bandwidth speeds in the last 24 months, compared with 64 percent of urban libraries and 56 percent of suburban libraries. The study also found that less than two-thirds of rural libraries report having access to information technology staff, far behind their counterparts. A majority of all libraries (66 percent) agree they would like to increase their broadband capacity, and that the leading barrier in doing so is cost." (Read more)
Rural libraries are also slower in making improvements, Brown writes. "Less than half of rural libraries reported they increased bandwidth speeds in the last 24 months, compared with 64 percent of urban libraries and 56 percent of suburban libraries. The study also found that less than two-thirds of rural libraries report having access to information technology staff, far behind their counterparts. A majority of all libraries (66 percent) agree they would like to increase their broadband capacity, and that the leading barrier in doing so is cost." (Read more)
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