Show page available at: https://ilsr.org/connecting-rural-america-episode-26-of-the-building-local-power-podcast. In this episode of Building Local Power, guest host Nick Stumo-Langer speaks with researchers Hannah Trostle and Christopher Mitchell about the possibilities for connecting rural America to high quality broadband. The group speaks about how broadband connectivity improves economic development in rural AND urban area [3:34], the power of electric cooperatives in connecting Americans to the Internet [7:46], barriers to local investment in Internet expansion state by state [16:56], how and why broadband infrastructure fits into the mission of ILSR [23:38], and plus, a slew of recommendations [25:19]. Listen to all of our Building Local Power podcast episodes at our site: https://ilsr.org/building-local-power. Don't forget to subscribe, share with your friends, leave a recommendation on our podcast feeds, and join the conversation using the #BuildingLocalPower hashtag!