High-speed Internet availablity increasing in Iowa

A study by the Iowa Utilities Board shows more Iowans have the chance to hook up to high-speed Internet access. Access jumped from 28 to 47 percent in rural areas, and from 42 to 61 percent in urban homes in the last year. Utilities Board spokesman Rob Hillesland says the survey measured the availability of high-speed service, not the number of users. Hillesland says the Federal Communications Commission is pushing for increased high-speed Internet access as a way to close the so-called “digital divide.”The F-C-C wants everyone to have access to the Internet at a speed that would allow them to view pictures at the same rate you can turn pages on a book. Hillesland says high-speed access is important to Iowa businesses who want to export their products. The report on the high-speed Internet access can be viewed at: www.state.ia.us/iub.