On June 1, 2020, nearly one hundred individuals in locations throughout Missouri and
across the United States gathered “online” to help develop a “Plan” to bring broadband to a
Missouri community — Bollinger County.
There was a time when telephone lines did not span the U.S., proudly marking the landscape in nearly every conceivable populated area. But telephones, as with refrigerators and light bulbs before them, soon became essential.
When you’re in Hermitage, which is home to just over 450 people, you can have decent cell service
and Wi-Fi access because the broadband hub is in the center of the city. But as you travel 10 to 15
miles to the outer towns — Elkton, Flemington or Wheatland — you’re lucky to make a phone call or
load an internet page in less than five minutes.