By Adilia Watson. Broadcast version by Suzanne Potter. Reporting for the Daily Yonder-Arkansas News Service Collaboration

Consumer Reports, in partnership with a coalition of partners, is seeking better data on internet speed, reliability and affordability.

Today, Consumer Reports launched "Let's Broadband Together" in partnership with a coalition of groups across the United States, including the Rural Assembly, a program of the Center for Rural Strategies, which also publishes the Daily Yonder.

The project is asking consumers to submit their internet bills and download speeds to a national database that researchers and consumer advocates will use to analyze what American families pay for internet access and what their money buys them.

The rural implications of this effort are apparent. At least 60% of rural residents have said high-speed internet is a problem where they live, according to data from Pew Research Center.

"Broadband access is one of the most pressing civil rights issues of our time," said Whitney Kimball Coe, coordinator of the Rural Assembly. "For too long, rural places and Native communities have been on the losing end of the digital divide, unable to fully participate in the economic, social and cultural forces shaping our world today. The Rural Assembly is excited to partner on the Let's Broadband Together project to drive greater transparency and accountability around achieving quality, high-speed and affordable internet."

To participate in the campaign, consumers will be asked to share a monthly internet bill showing cost of service, to complete a speed test, and to fill in a short survey. The entire process is estimated to take about seven minutes. The goal of the "Let's Broadband Together" effort is to "find out what we're really getting for our money and advocate for a better internet that costs less," according to a Consumer Reports press release.

The data will be aggregated and analyzed to develop benchmarks around the cost of service and speed. The project will help analysts understand how and why prices and performance vary. No personally identifiable information will be recorded as part of the project's analysis, the press release stated. Participants will receive a free Consumer Reports membership and access to educational materials about broadband reliability and affordability.

Other organizations participating in the campaign include the National Digital Inclusion Alliance, the National Hispanic Media Coalition, Color of Change, Public Knowledge, the American Library Association, the Open Technology Institute and many more.

Consumer Reports, formed in 1936, focuses on empowering consumers and creating "truth, transparency, and fairness in the marketplace," according to its website. The organization's president, Maria Tellado, said internet access is a necessity, not a luxury.

"Broadband must be available, accessible, and affordable for all, including low-income households and rural areas," she said. "For too long, the true cost and quality of internet service have been hidden and obscured. We want to shine a light on what's really happening, so every American can have the quality internet they need to succeed today and into the future."

Partners in the project hope that better data will ultimately lead to smarter policy. Historically, official government tallies on internet access have relied on self-reported data from service providers, which tends to provide a limited view on availability and overlook issues with reliability and affordability.

Joshua Stager, deputy director of Broadband and Competition Policy at the Open Technology Institute, explained that this survey will allow organizations to hear directly from consumers.

"The federal government still does not collect this data," he said, "which often leaves policymakers and the public in the dark."

The goal of the campaign is to gather at least 30,000 consumer submissions by the end of September. You can participate by submitting your bill and speed test data at www.consumerreports.org/upload/broadband/?EXTKEY=BBA17EEC1C.

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Adilia Watson wrote this article for The Daily Yonder.


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The Montana Legal Services Association has started a program to help young attorneys get started on a path to success - becoming community leaders, run socially conscious law firms, and maintain sustainable businesses.

The Rural Incubator Program for Lawyers creates a way for new attorneys to start their careers by helping connect them to rural clients with pro-bono and reduced-rate services.

Gillian Ellison, the incubator program coordinator, said it helps underserved people in Montana - while also giving lawyers a leg up on networking and kick-starting, or incubating, their careers.

"It's looking at the problem from both ways," said Ellison, "trying to get more attorneys in the rural places and also trying to facilitate the growth of new businesses that serve low-to moderate-income Montanans."

Montana Tribal members also stand to benefit from the rural lawyer incubator program, which requires the attorneys to perform 25 pro bono hours and 225 reduced rate service hours in exchange for training and assistance with business and client development.

Ellison said while the incubator program is especially helpful to underserved Montanans and members of the state's Indigenous tribes, it is also especially useful to lawyers who are just starting out and need the help that comes from more experienced attorneys - which can be difficult to get.

"Especially in a place like Montana where things are so spread out to have networking capacity because the networking and the mentoring is invaluable to a new attorney," said Ellison, "especially if you're not going to be working in a - or getting hired on to work in - a firm. "

The program also makes some tuition reimbursement assistance available for some lawyers who participate.




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Aiming to close the financial literacy divide among teens and young adults, one investment company has set a goal of reaching one million of them by 2025.

The National Center for Education Statistics reported among 15-year-olds, only one in four regularly discusses economics or financial matters with their parents.

The Edward Jones Financial Fitness program is one way to get the information to them.

Nolan Jeter, financial adviser for Edward Jones in Atlanta, said increasing a young person's financial knowledge is also a way to build and enhance their confidence and well-being.

"The biggest difference between people reaching their full potential and financial success is discipline," Jeter contended. "The sad truth is, most people don't know what those disciplines are."

Jeter pointed out the program tackles topics like saving strategies, how to start and use a 401(k) account, and planning for a secure future. To date, he said the program has helped more than 485,000 students, and is on track to double in two years.

A survey by the website WalletHub ranks Georgia 39th among states for overall financial literacy.

Jeter noted it is a common misconception money management skills are not needed if you do not have much to manage. He emphasized students can learn to handle whatever amount they have more effectively.

"This is one of the ways that we're really focused and delivering that impact to these communities," Jeter stressed. "We know that that's where we see the biggest gap between people and working with financial professionals. We know that there are underserved communities, particularly -- especially in the minority communities -- that just simply don't know."

State initiatives also have been set in motion to help increase financial literacy in teens. Last year, Gov. Brian Kemp approved a bill making financial literacy courses compulsory for high school students starting in the next academic year. All students in grades 11 and 12 must complete a half-credit course to be eligible for graduation.


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Starting a business is fraught with decisions ranging from defining the type of business to start, choosing whether to be a home-based, online, or a brick-and-mortar company, hiring staff and calculating startup and operational costs.

According to the Indiana Small Business Economic Profile 2021, there are nearly 530,000 small businesses in Indiana, employing more than 1.2 million Hoosiers.

David Watkins, senior vice president of entrepreneurship and small business for the Indiana Economic Development Corporation, said the one component large and small companies have in common also makes them competitors.

"It is not easy for a small business at times to compete on a talent basis with some of our large corporations that do great work for the community but are competing for the same workers," Watkins pointed out.

Watkins acknowledged access to capital is important, and the corporation works to connect small businesses to a bank, investor, venture capital firm or loan fund to help them expand.

The Community Reinvestment Act, enacted by Congress in 1977, encourages depository institutions to address the credit needs of the communities in which they operate. In 2019, banks issued $1.5 billion dollars in loans to Indiana businesses with revenues of $1 million or less.

The growing use of social media and online shopping can affect the costs and efficiency of a small business' operations. Watkins noted technology can be both an asset and a hindrance for a small business looking to solve problems.

"If technology can be leveraged to increase production, lower costs, increase the efficiency of their operations, their talent retention," Watkins outlined. "I think the role for the state to play, in that regard, is making sure that our small businesses are aware of and staying on the cutting edge of this technological innovation so that Indiana continues to be at the very forefront of the economy for the future. "

According to the 2021 report, construction, scientific and technical services, retail trade, real estate, rental/leasing, administrative/support and waste management are the state's leading small businesses.

Women owned 42.4% of Indiana businesses, veterans owned 7.2%, Hispanics owned 3.8%, and other racial group -- American Indian and Alaska Native, Asian, Black, or African American, Native Hawaiian, and other Pacific Islanders -- comprise 10.8% of small businesses in Indiana.

The Small Business and Entrepreneurship Council's Small Business Policy Index 2019 researched 50 states based on their public policy climates for the risk-taking that drives economic growth and job creation and ranked Indiana as the eighth-most entrepreneur-friendly state in the nation.