Today (May 11) is the 80th anniversary of President Franklin Roosevelt signing Executive Order 7037 establishing the Rural Electrification Administration (REA), a temporary agency tasked with deciding how to fund rural electric systems.
People often compare the REA to efforts to spread broadband to rural areas. It’s a good reminder of the power (pun intended) of the cooperatives and an opportunity to look back at the impact of the investment in rural areas. Here’s one example from the USDA…
A 1954 Rural Lines newsletter noted that “Three years ago, not one acre of rice was being grown in the area served by the rural electric system [the Mississippi Delta]…Today more than 19,000 acres are planted…” Rural electrification provided irrigation capability, which increased farm earnings and helped rural economies grow.
Broadband can change rural areas and even agriculture in the same way!
I had thought about this morning when I heard about the REA historic date. Thanks for this. M
I hope someone will be celebrating the investments we make today in 80 years!