10/14/2026
“Rural Broadband Infrastructure and Its Implications for Households and Agriculture
Fast, reliable broadband is essential for rural communities. Rural broadband allows entrepreneurs to do business, provides access to telehealth services, and enables access to online educational opportunities (Biedny and Whitacre, 2022). The availability of rural broadband has also created greater remote work opportunities, better positioning rural communities to attract new residents and retain current residents (Low, Rahe, and Van Leuven, 2023). Greater broadband capacity also enables agricultural producers to adopt more automated technologies and processes (Khanna et al., 2024).
As a result, the University of Illinois Extension surveyed over 11,700 households in these counties from 2022–2025. In addition to gathering perceptions of broadband access, the survey measured service quality by asking participants to complete a speed test. The survey also asked about the state of rural broadband for agricultural entities, given the relative importance of agriculture to those communities. Survey findings reflect trends in rural Illinois, but rural and agricultural communities throughout the Midwest face the same challenges.
This article highlights some of the survey’s key findings to examine whether the existing broadband infrastructure meets the needs of households and agricultural producers. It first considers household broadband quality and regional differences in service levels. It shows how agricultural entities perceive their broadband service, and concludes by discussing the remaining challenges to broadband expansion and the partnerships needed to improve rural connectivity.” - Successful Farming
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A University of Illinois survey highlights gaps in rural broadband access, speed, and reliability, and what they mean for farmers and rural communities.
