Cell Technology in Rural Areas Holds Its Own

Rural communities and school districts may be located in remote areas, but that doesn't mean they lack the technology to support cell phone use:

• 99% of Americans are now living in counties in which next-generation wireless services are available.
  
• 94% of Americans are now living in counties with four or more wireless service providers.
• More than 12.5 billion text messages were sent in June 2006, up 70% from June 2005.
  Federal government statistics on wireless use indicated more than 51% of rural American households had wireless phones, compared to 54% of all America households.

(provided by the International Association for the Wireless Communication Industry)

Having access to quality cell phone technology and customer services is so important in rural areas because the distance between neighbors or from emergency responders can have a major detrimental impact during emergencies. Response times could be longer and resources may be limited, at least for a time. That's why it is so important to have an emergency broadcast system in place, one that caters to all cell phone and text message users. Without it, rural fire departments and county sheriff officers might spend valuable time driving from house to house to inform residents of a problem. However, when officials have the ability to get accurate information distributed quickly to many people, they can avoid public speculation that often leads to panic and confusion. Rural areas definitely have the technology - now they just have to embrace it!