Rural Riddle: Do Jobs Follow Broadband Access?
two towns desperately in need of an economic boost were given what many had hoped would be a kick-start: access to high-speed Internet.
there the paths of Lebanon and Rose Hill diverged. One attracted two large companies that created 700 good-paying jobs for residents. In the other, only a few home-based businesses got off the ground.
Supporters of broadband as a way to jump-start an economy cite Lebanon as an example of how technology can change a town
The defense contractor Northrop Grumman and the software maker CGI set up facilities and created jobs for about 700 people, with salaries averaging $50,000 a year, Boucher said.
It helped that district planners at the same time converted an old strip mall to a training center that allowed residents to get their high school equivalency diplomas and prepare for jobs as technicians and information technology workers.
71 percent of Lebanon's residents have a high school diploma,
clipped from: www.washingtonpost.com