The Midwest Rural Assembly is August 10-11 in South Dakota. There were two aspects of the meeting that caught my eye:

Hear from and talk with local to national policymakers about your rural policy priorities;

And the following session:
Broadband and Rural Communities: Creating a Healthy Digital Ecology and a Community Vision for Federal Funding
Rural America is vast and diverse. Sixty million Americans, about 20 percent of the population, live in the
countryside on 80 percent of the nation’s land. Of the 250 poorest American counties, 244 are rural. Digital
communications technology could be part of the solution for addressing rural economic and social concerns.
Broadband access would allow rural America to reap the benefits of telehealth, telecommuting, higher
education distance learning, improved emergency communications systems, and greater connection to the
global economy. The federal government is spending billions on media education and Internet expansion as
part of the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act. This session will help us formulate our vision for a
healthy digital ecology that makes sure Internet and digital access increases opportunities for work, education,
and well-being. Potential panelists include Edyael Casaperalta, Center for Rural Strategies; amalia deloney,
Main Street Project; Joshua Breitbart, Peoples Production House; Loris Taylor, Native Public Media.
Organized by the Main Street Project with participation by you.