ProGov21 Policy Library

In order to build a strong, progressive populist movement in the United States, it is necessary to strengthen the integrated voter engagement capacity in rural areas and small towns in alignment with progressive organizing efforts in metropolitan areas. This report shares key data...

Due to monopoly control of broadband technology, millions of Americans do not have internet access because it is not available or affordable. To circumvent this problem, the city of Wilson began building a citywide Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) network called Greenlight in 2008, after...

Monopoly control of broadband technology is leaving many Americans unable to access high-speed internet. In particular, the market power of the biggest cable companies allows them to lock customers into overpriced, underperforming Internet service contracts for which they don’t have...

Basic infrastructure, including internet access, is still lacking on many reservations; in fact, tribal lands have seen increases in high-speed internet access at even lower rates than rural areas. One step to better Internet infrastructure is increasing the authority of Native Nations...

Racial and ethnic disparities in agriculture and the food system experienced by farmers of color (FoC) in the United States stem from an exploitative and racialized agricultural system. Sustainable agriculture with a strong orientation toward racial justice can serve as a policy tool...

Agricultural cooperatives are a promising area of economic opportunity for African American women in the rural South, who face some of the sharpest disparities in economic advancement. By increasing the local availability of quality food, these businesses also have the potential to...

Although digital technology made social distancing mandates more feasible and less costly, there are still major gaps that policymakers should address to make physical distancing even easier. In particular, this report argues that governments should support the development of foundational...

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, politicians have chosen to sacrifice rural communities for the profits of corporate monopolies. In response, this report provides a vision of Relief, Recovery, and Reimagination necessary to positively transform rural communities and small towns....

Rural North Dakota has some of the greatest internet connectivity in the country. In fact, according to Federal Communications Commission (FCC) data, rural North Dakotans are more likely to have access to gigabit speeds and fiber broadband than the state’s urban residents—even more...

In 2010 the Minnesota legislature set a goal of having universal Internet access across the state with download speeds of 10-20 Mbps and upload speeds of 5-10 Mbps no later than 2015. As of 2014, Minnesota is not on track to meet these goals, because internet access varies significantly...

Since the onset of COVID-19, home broadband traffic surged by roughly 20 to 40 percent. Fortunately, U.S. broadband networks were able to accommodate this increase in demand, with virtually zero drop in performance. As a result, this report argues that there is no need to over-invest...