The Minnesota Star Tribune has posted a column from reporter, Karen Tolkkinen, out of Clitherall, Minnesota. She is writing about the experience of receiving government food assistance  in the past in reaction to upcoming federal cuts in food assistance. There’s a paragraph that paints a picture on the importance of broadband…

Trust me that it feels much, much better to give than to receive.
We needed food assistance twice for short periods, once before our son was born and once after. Then, when our son was 2, while my husband farmed and repaired tractors, I was able to land a part-time job in my field. When he was 4, I got full-time work. Health insurance ate up such a huge chunk of my paycheck that we went without for a couple of years, but at least my income paid for groceries.
If you live in the Twin Cities, you might not know that Minnesota has been spending tens of millions of dollars to bring broadband across greater Minnesota. That’s the only reason I’m able to write for the Minnesota Star Tribune, where pay and benefits are better than anything I’ve been able to find out here in the hinterlands.