In the United States and several other countries, 2018 brought a continuing focus on challenges for rural communities. Slower rural growth and higher unemployment often contributes to an even larger political divide. One factor holding back rural communities is the lack of access to broadband services. In increasing ways broadband has become the electricity of the 21st century. Without it, there is little opportunity to attract new business or jobs.

In the United States, officials finally started to appreciate that our understanding of the problem is too limited. Microsoft joined with members of Congress to point out that the Federal Communications Commission’s data is flawed, as it underestimates markedly the size of the country’s problem.

Despite the data issues, there were some important new signs of progress in expanding broadband access. Combining new TV White Spaces technology with existing wireless solutions, at Microsoft we launched partnerships with telecommunications companies to bring rural broadband access to 16 states in 17 months. These partnerships will reach a million people who haven’t yet had the opportunity to enjoy the connectivity speeds that most Americans living in cities take for granted.

These solutions provide new hope not just for the United States and 2019, but for closing the broadband gap globally over the next decade. It will require sustained innovations and investments, coupled with sound government policies. But it’s increasingly possible to imagine the type of progress that will make the world a different and better place in this regard by 2030.

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Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton