February 2020

Land O’Lakes CEO: Rural America is the new inner city

While the urban world is talking about the power and promise of 5G, much of rural America is still having trouble getting online. While the Federal Communications has launched the Rural Digital Opportunites Fund,  Land O’Lakes Chief Executive Beth Ford said, “It’s not that that’s nothing. I mean, that’s real money. But it’s inadequate. And then I meet constantly with governors, and they’re putting something -- 10 million in the budget or 20 million... And it feels like we’re in the couch looking for the quarters and nickels. And that’s not going to get us there.

Does 5G Have the Potential to Make the Digital Divide Worse?

In the coming years, 5G wireless Internet stands poised to remake the online world, its unprecedented speed enabling advances in everything from public safety to virtual reality. Within this progress, however, there exists another near-certainty — segments of the population will be left out of the advantages.