The use of high-speed Internet service is up in rural Minnesota, but a study by the Center for Rural Policy and Development (CRPD) in Mankato shows rural communities have many barriers to overcome before residents and business owners can take advantage of the service.

The study involved 663 respondents from rural Minnesota and found the number of people owning home computers and connecting to the Internet has remained steady during the past two years. In rural Minnesota, 47 percent of the population is connected to the Internet at home.

However, the study also found the number of those who have established high-speed connections (also known as broadband connections) has increased from 13 percent in 2001 to 21 percent in 2002.

While the CRPD concluded the amount people are willing to pay to switch from a dial-up connection to a high-speed connection remains at $30 a month, the number of people who said they were not interested in a broadband connection dropped from 55 percent to 31 percent.

The study found income is a major factor in whether or not a household is connected to the Internet. While most people with household incomes over $50,000 report they are online, only 25 percent of homes with incomes under $25,000 are online.

Additionally, the CRPD found those with high-speed services tend to have cell phones and a higher monthly telecommunications bill. "[This] may also be more an indication of an ability to afford these items than a case of 'technology following technology,'" the study states.

Age also is an important factor in whether or not a household has Internet access. The CRPD's study shows 60 percent of respondents age 55 or younger are online, but 26 percent of respondents older than 55 reported having an Internet connection at home.

Jay Geller, of the CRPD says the study was conducted for several reasons.

He says that at many legislative sessions, legislators claim to not have enough information to effectively work to increase broadband services in rural areas of the state. Since the CRPD is "not an advocacy group, we're a research group," Geller says, it seemed appropriate for the organization to put together "definitive information" about this area of Internet service.

He also says it was important for the legislators to know who was using technology in Minnesota. "It's commonly thought that in the state there's a digital divide between the metro areas and the rural areas," he says. "However, our research does not support that divide." Instead, the divide was found to be in the demographics of rural Minnesota – in the groups of low- and high-income people and young and old people.

"It will take a lot more creativity and thought to bridge that divide," than if the lack of broadband Internet use was simply between the rural and metropolitan areas.

Geller stresses the CRPD is not an advocacy group, but "is a big believer in the power of information and we believe good information will yield results." The group he says, does not want to tell communities what to do in the area of high-speed Internet connections, but feels they should have enough "good, accurate, contemporary information" to make educated decisions.

Amanda L. Rohde can be reached at 434-2214 or by e-mail at :mailto:amanda.rohde@austindailyherald.com