Remember that series of howls and squeaks that came out of your modem when you dialed onto the Internet? For most of us, it's ancient history.
But rural areas, even if they don't have the old noisy modems, still lag behind urban ones in getting access to high-speed Internet service, broadband. The federal Department of Agriculture is embarking on a $600 Million program to expand broadband in rural areas.
Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon helped push for the program in a recent spending bill. Senator Merkley talks with JPR's April Ehrlich in this recorded segment.