If you go to Google and search for remote jobs in Kentucky, you will see so many results pop up with tens of job listings. These jobs range widely, with some being in the digital marketing field, and many in the software and programming genres.
Less than a decade ago, most of these jobs were not available in the rural towns of America such as Madisonville, Guthrie, and Bardstown. It was only when the ISPs started getting bolder that faster broadband internet started reaching rural America. Sooner, thousands of opportunities started popping up everywhere.
While rural ISP companies such as Broadlinc do not get the credit they deserve, they have been on the forefront opening up new frontiers in the digital space.
As a result, millions of people who had been unserved or underserved with high speed internet are now taking advantage of the available opportunities.
Here is how this internet provider is boosting rural economies:
1. Changing the bleak job market of Kentucky
For decades, the state of Kentucky has had a bleak job market, only comparable to a few other states in the USA. That is changing today, with the rollout of high speed internet. This is an initiative of the state government under Governor Andy Beshear.
Before 2010, the state had depended on the coal industry to create jobs for a good number of Kentuckians. However, the wide adoption of clean energy affected the coal industry badly.
The 2008 recession hit Kentucky only messed things further, so much that its effects still linger to date. When you throw the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic into the mix, you start to understand just how grim the picture is.
The Better Kentucky Plan has allocated $600 million for the expansion of fast internet. Through programs such as Teleworks USA, more people are getting well-paying jobs in Kentucky.
Internet-based businesses such as hosting providers, digital marketing agencies and others are coming up everywhere.
2. Employers are employing more remote workers
The coming of high speed internet to Kentucky has many benefits for employers and employees alike.
One of the benefits that employers derive from the internet is that they can hire remotely. This means they don't have to invest in equipment, new work stations and so on.
An employer who hires a remote worker does not have to worry about workplace injury, morning and afternoon tea, and so on. This reduces costs on their end in many ways, and they can hire more remote workers.
Employers also see more productivity, as research shows that employees who work remotely are happier. They are able to balance between work and family commitments. This makes them well-rounded working and family people overall.
Even as companies start thinking of going back to the pre-pandemic work settings, the work-from-home scenario will still remain.
Since there is no time spent on commuting, the time that employees would have spent on the road is used on productive work.
3. No more brain-drain to the cities
Every year, young professionals move to the cities from the rural towns to look for better opportunities. But now with the internet, these people can enjoy all of these opportunities right from their hometowns.
The trend has been people moving to the bigger urban centers when they are young, and then going back to the smaller, quieter rural towns when they grow older.
This is now changing, thanks to the coming of the internet. The small towns now have diverse communities as the coming of high speed internet keeps them home. This diversity is also expressed in the business scene, with new businesses coming up to suit different demographics.
Granted, no one can fully stop the rural-urban migration. However, things are changing fast because many young professionals are returning to their hometowns earlier.
4. Fast internet is changing the economy of regional America
When ISPs create regular and remote job opportunities for people in rural communities, they also grow the local economy. With the broadband internet connection, a person in eastern Kentucky can work for a company in New York.
But ... When the money comes in, you are going to spend it where you are - at home. That is how the ISPs are growing the local economies. With increased purchasing power, more companies start coming into town.
The first ones to arrive are the retailers, followed by manufacturers, entertainment, and others. The ripple effect is so big, and it leads to the creation of employment. For instance, companies like Broadlinc, a major ISP in Kentucky, prefer to hire locally all the time.
The injection of money into the local economy stimulates even the big money industries such as the real estate. With assured income, young professionals can apply for mortgages and start their home ownership journey.
Newer industries start to come up, as well as hitherto unknown jobs. For instance, today, there are many Instagram influencers with millions of followers. There are YouTube content creators, affiliate marketers and many more working from home.
5. Better social connections and networking
This is another area in which the ISPs are improving the life of rural America. High speed internet connection opens up communication channels, entertainment, and professional networking opportunities.
Families and friends connect on the web, and they can check on each other daily. This kind of connection was very important during the pandemic, as many cities were put under lockdown. Virtual connection kept many companies working, but best of all, it kept many people from going into depression.
Fast internet is not only important for social connections, but it also plays a vital role in professional networking. For instance, by 2023, there were 922.3 million users on LinkedIn, which is the leading professional network in the world.
According to Zipia, every week, 49 million people search for jobs on LinkedIn. This is big, and it has been brought about by the access to fast internet.
6. ISPs are helping the environment
This is one of the most overlooked benefits of ISPs presence in rural as well as urban America. By encouraging more people to work from home, the commuting hours are greatly reduced, since you only drive to the office when the need arises.
This is saving the world from a lot of emissions. Less driving means less carbon emissions. The ability to apply for jobs online also means people drive less often to deliver papers.
Reduced need for furniture at the workplaces, less coffee and sugar, less water used in the bathrooms, all have a positive effect on the environment.
Summary
With all the benefits of high speed internet connection registering a huge success in the big cities and towns, rural America has been slow to catch up.
The ISPs have been looking at the expected ROI, and many shun bringing broadband internet. This has left most of the rural communities under-served and some totally unserved with internet connection.
However, some ISPs such as Broadlinc have dared to bring more communities aboard the high speed internet bandwagon. They believe internet access is a human right.
They have helped to open up the job market, business, entertainment, and social networking scenes for millions of people.
Today, you cannot mention the benefits of high speed connectivity to the economy of a place, without mentioning the parties that make this possible - the ISPs.
Remember, these places had been overlooked by many ISPs on account of low population, which translated to low ROI. Now, this is changing. Soon, most of rural America will be connected to high speed broadband internet.
