[RTC List] [Fwd: [cc-mediareform] NEW REPORT: Five Days on the Digital Dirt Road]

Tue Mar 3 10:16:07 PST 2009

Rural broadband stories are building toward the Town Hall meeting in 
Durham NC.

-------- Original Message --------

Check out the great videos: 
http://www.internetforeveryone.org/americaoffline/nc 
<http://free.convio.net/site/R?i=CGs7bPxN4X_mhE0yh2vKSw..>

We'll be on the ground in Durham staring Friday.

Tell your NC friends to come to the town hall meeting: 
http://www.internetforeveryone.org/events/durham

best - tk

=  =  =  =  = 
Timothy Karr
Campaign Director
Free Press :: www.freepress.net <http://www.freepress.net/>
SavetheInternet.com :: www.savetheinternet.com 
<http://www.savetheinternet.com/> 
InternetforEveryone.org :: www.internetforeveryone.org 
<http://www.internetforeveryone.org/>
201.533.8838

**reform**** ****media****. transform**** ****democracy****.**

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*From:* Jen Howard
*Sent:* Tuesday, March 03, 2009 12:39 PM
*Subject:* NEW REPORT: Five Days on the Digital Dirt Road

Right-click here to download pictures. To help protect your privacy, 
Outlook prevented automatic download of this picture from the Internet. 
InternetforEveryone.org 
<http://free.convio.net/site/R?i=hNK9yK4H6RSN4iCDAYC86w..>

March 3, 2009

*For Immediate Release*

Contact:
Jen Howard, Free Press, (202) 265-1490 x22 or (703) 517-6273

  *NEW REPORT: Five Days on the Digital Dirt Road*

    *InternetforEveryone.org chronicles the impact of life without
    broadband in rural America*

WASHINGTON -- InternetforEveryone.org -- the broad-based initiative to 
connect every American to fast, open and affordable Internet -- today 
released /Five Days on the Digital Dirt Road/, a unique, multimedia 
report on the digital divide in rural America.

"More than 14.3 million rural homes across the country -- 61 percent -- 
are not connected to high-speed Internet," said *Megan Tady* of Free 
Press, author of the report. "This isn't just a statistic. It's a daily 
reality for the millions of people who can't go online to apply for 
jobs, attend classes, start home-based businesses, get news and 
information, and participate in the global economy."

To get an up-close glimpse at life on the digital dirt road, Tady 
traveled across North Carolina -- a state hit hard by the economic 
downturn -- documenting the challenges facing rural communities without 
high-speed Internet access.

/Five Days on the Digital Dirt Road/ combines in-depth profiles and 
short, documentary-style videos into a compelling five-part series:

    * *Day One*: In Robeson County, a rural area devastated by textile
      plant closings, members of the local Lumbee Tribe cannot afford
      the high-speed Internet connections that would lead to other
      economic opportunities.
    * *Day Two*: One hour north of Durham in rural Person County, farmer
      Jay Foushee is stuck using a slow dial-up connection to check
      market prices and sell his crops. His teenage daughter Julia has
      to leave the house each night in search of a broadband connection
      to do her homework.
    * *Day Three*: Living in the Smoky Mountains outside of Asheville,
      writer Brooks Townes gave up his freelance career because his
      dial-up connection made him uncompetitive. And bed-and-breakfast
      owner Martha Abraham fears that her slow and unpredictable
      satellite connection hurts her small business.
    * *Day Four*: In remote Spring Creek, residents are trying to revive
      their town by building a community center that offers a computer
      lab and space for local businesses, an effort that could prove
      futile without high-speed Internet.
    * *Day Five*: In Rutherford County, Sam Adams, a senior IBM
      researcher, was forced to spend thousands of dollars to erect his
      own broadband tower so he could continue telecommuting.

This report will be showcased at the InternetforEveryone.org town hall 
meeting on the future of the Internet in Durham, N.C., on Saturday, 
March 7.

"High-speed Internet is a lifeline to the outside world, and a chance to 
overcome the limits of geography, poorly funded schools and a sinking 
economy," Tady said. "/Five Days on the Digital Dirt Road/ puts a human 
face on the urgent need to expand broadband across the nation to ensure 
the health of our rural communities and our country as a whole."

*Read and watch /Five Days on the Digital Dirt Road/: 
http://www.internetforeveryone.org/americaoffline/nc 
<http://free.convio.net/site/R?i=CGs7bPxN4X_mhE0yh2vKSw..>*

*Learn more about the North Carolina town hall meeting: 
http://www.internetforeveryone.org/events/durham 
<http://free.convio.net/site/R?i=kdyR6BVl8fHE9H8j972RXA..>*

*###*

/Free Press is a national, nonpartisan organization working to reform 
the media. Through education, organizing and advocacy, we promote 
diverse and independent media ownership, strong public media, and 
universal access to communications. Learn more at www.freepress.net/

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