| A revolution has occurred in the computer and | | | | cost-effective than shipping projects overseas. |
| telecommunications industries in the past decade | | | | Work ranging from book composition to graphics |
| and a half, and it has opened up amazing | | | | design to computer-generated drafting can be |
| opportunities; but the lack of access to broadband | | | | done well by U.S. citizens working out of their |
| in large areas of the rural U.S. has left its citizens | | | | homes. Unfortunately, many of the skilled jobs |
| far behind. | | | | available for freelancers involve transferring large |
| In an era when both corporations and workers | | | | computer files back and forth, a process almost |
| have discovered the advantages of | | | | impossible with a slow dial-up connection. |
| telecommuting, rural workers without access to | | | | The availability of sophisticated computer and |
| broadband are being left in the dust. Living in an | | | | telecommunications equipment at reasonable |
| area where jobs are both scarce and low-paying, | | | | prices has served to open up opportunities to |
| many workers could benefit from a freelance | | | | many thousands of workers, but the playing field |
| arrangement with a company in Boston, | | | | isn't level yet. The federal and state governments |
| Manhattan, Chicago, or Los Angeles, earning an | | | | need to light a fire underneath U.S. Internet |
| urban salary without having to leave their | | | | providers and telephone companies to get |
| homes-but for lack of high-speed Internet access. | | | | broadband technology spread throughout the |
| At a time when millions of good-paying jobs have | | | | country, fast. The alternative is to accept a |
| gone offshore to places like Bangalore, India, U.S. | | | | widening economic gap between the haves and |
| companies are beginning to find that a good | | | | have-nots, between urban and rural workers, in |
| working relationship with a U.S. independent | | | | the U.S.-a gap that could easily be bridged, in part, |
| contractor is actually more efficient and | | | | by access to broadband. |