March 24, 2022 By Kevin Schwartzbach Despite the more than $1.6 trillion private internet service providers (ISPs) have invested in broadband infrastructure since 1996, the internet landscape in the US faces significant challenges. Over 30 percent of American households do not have broadband at home, while as many as 42 million do not have the option to purchase it in the first place, especially in rural areas. Millions more are unsatisfied with the internet they do have. Moreover, large ISPs face little or no competition in most US markets, resulting in internet service that is comparatively more expensive than most peer nations while also not being relatively fast. As private ISPs have struggled to tackle these issues, two related models have emerged as creative alternatives: municipal b...
New York State has several fellowship programs that provide opportunities in State government to eager and talented individuals from diverse backgrounds. Empire State Fellows: The Empire State Fellows Program is a full-time leadership training program that prepares the next generation of talented professionals for careers as New York State policymakers. The incoming class of Empire State Fellows will serve from September 2022 to September 2024, and receive an annual salary of $76,500, plus a generous benefits package. Applications are being accepted through April 4. Apply and learn more here. Excelsior Fellows: The Excelsior Service Fellowship Program is an initiative to bring highly talented recent graduates of law, graduate and professional schools into government service. Prospective fe...
Cornell University Professor, John W. Sipple and PhD students Peter Fiduccia, Kate Foster, and Kristie LeBeau recently presented at the 2022 Rural Alliance Symposium. Their presentation focused on data for rural New York and covered the following topics: population change, education, housing, employment, internet access, and public health. View their slides here: The State of Rural New York-Cornell
https://www.marketplace.org/2021/12/28/rural-hospitals-short-of-staff-brace-for-omicron/ By Savannah Maher Dec 28, 2021 Heard on: Hospitals in the U.S. are struggling to stay staffed up. Many were short of workers even before the pandemic caused an exodus of doctors and nurses from the field. Now, the more transmissible omicron variant is sending some of the remaining workers home, and hospitals are running out of backup plans — particularly in rural areas. Vermont was already in dire need of health care workers, even before the pandemic drove many into early retirement and other careers, according to Jeff Tieman with the Vermont Association of Hospitals. “Our workforce is shrinking and stressed, you know, at a time when we need it to be growing and resilient,” he said. In New Mexico, more...
PEW RESEARCH TRUST AUGUST 19, 2021 BY EMILY A. VOGELS Rural Americans have made large gains in adopting digital technology over the past decade and have narrowed some digital gaps. However, rural adults remain less likely than suburban adults to have home broadband and less likely than urban adults to own a smartphone, tablet computer or traditional computer. Read more