| Driving across the United States is an experience | | | | virtual world. It also seems that more and more |
| that every American should take advantage of if | | | | young people are venturing off to new cities, |
| the opportunity comes up. The incredible diversity | | | | states, and countries. For parents living in rural |
| of people, land, culture, and lifestyles is | | | | areas, this once may have been a more |
| extraordinary. It is amazing how the same | | | | disconnecting action. Fifty years ago, many rural |
| highway can be congested with thousands of cars | | | | Americans did not have access to telephones, and |
| coming in and out of a city, then only a few | | | | were dependent on a trip to the post office to |
| hundred miles later, completely desolate. | | | | check their P.O. Box as their primary mode of |
| One of the most desolate stretches of highway | | | | communication with their loved ones who lived far |
| cuts from Kansas to Colorado on Route 70. One | | | | away. Now with satellite internet, a rural resident |
| can drive for nearly an hour without seeing | | | | can hop onto the internet and video chat with |
| anything; no gas stations, no farms, no | | | | their family and friends from the comfort of their |
| restaurants... nothing. Every once in a while, a small | | | | own home, and at no additional cost, as many |
| town may surface. Towns such as Grainfield, | | | | programs with video chatting opportunities are |
| Kansas, with a population of 357 citizens are | | | | free of cost. |
| common along desolate stretches of highway like | | | | Jessica was the first member of her family to |
| this. In an era where everyone seems to be | | | | leave Grainfield, Kansas last year, and she went |
| connected in some manner, it is hard to imagine | | | | far. Jessica got accepted to study art history in |
| how these small, rural towns function as each | | | | Florence, Italy. For a family that had spent their |
| generation becomes more and more tuned into | | | | whole lives in this tiny town, Jessica's journey |
| technology. | | | | seemed almost unfathomable. In preparation for |
| The answer is Satellite Internet broadband. Many | | | | their daughter's departure, Jessica's parents finally |
| people living in rural communities cannot connect | | | | jumped on the technology train and decided to |
| to the Internet with DSL or cable. To be eligible | | | | set up Internet in their house so that they could |
| for DSL, the subscriber must be within 18,000 | | | | communicate with their daughter. A process that |
| feet of the phone center and often times cable | | | | could have been difficult only a few years ago |
| companies do not offer their services in rural | | | | was made easy with the wonders of Satellite |
| areas either. Satellite broadband, on the other | | | | Internet broadband. Now Jessica and her parents |
| hand is an Internet connection provided by a | | | | communicate regularly with video chat, Jessica |
| satellite dish and is just as fast as cable or DSL. | | | | from her posh flat in downtown Florence, Italy, |
| It seems as though every generation becomes | | | | and her parents from their rural cabin in Grainfield. |
| more and more connected and in touch with the | | | | |