Broadband access problems aren’t limited to rural areas. In cities, the digital divide is a barrier to urban revitalization and the full realization of a “smart city” vision.

Since former President Barack Obama pledged in his 2011 State of the Union address that high-speed wireless would be available to 98% of Americans, there have been fervent discussions about how to get broadband into rural communities.

President Trump’s infrastructure proposal this year called for $50 billion in rural spending, including on broadband, and many Congressional efforts have targeted rural America to achieve the goal of “connecting every part of America to the digital age,” as Obama said.