Broadband Availability Lacks Where It's Needed Most

As broadband communication becomes more and more important, so does the lack of availability of it in rural areas. A report on dailyyonder.com highlights Michael J. Copps, the acting chair of the FCC, and his support of the government stepping up to aid the development of broadband in rural America. "Relying on market forces alone will not bring robust and affordable broadband services to all parts of rural America," he writes. "Therefore, all levels of government should explore ways to help overcome the high costs of rural broadband deployment."

Broadband access is particularly important in rural areas especially when it comes to health care. Telemedicine is a rapidly developing application of clinical medicine where medical information is transferred through the phone or the Internet and sometimes other networks for the purpose of consulting, and sometimes remote medical procedures or examinations. Telemedicine is most beneficial for populations living in isolated communities and remote regions who do not have access to certain specialists and equipment.Telemedicine allows a doctor in a rural area to send vital information such as x-rays, to a specialist hundreds of miles away to insure a patient receives the best possible treatment.The use of telemedicine is impossible without broadband.


More information on broadband accessibility in Virginia

Home Sales Bounce to 2-year High

A report by Renae Merle of The Washington Post states that existing homes sales climbed 9.4 percent in September the highest level in more than 2 years. In the South region which includes Virginia, sales rose 9 percent. Analysts say that at the current rate it would take 7.8 months to sell all of the homes on the market.

One of the biggest reasons for the increase is the growing demand for cheap property and an $8,000 tax credit for first time buyers. Analysts worry that the major increase is due mainly to the tax credit and people rushing to cash in before it expires. Proposals have been made to extend the Nov. 30 expiration date for the credit because of the fear that sales will stumble once it expires. More on this here.

In the Face of Economic Woes Stimulus Saves Education Jobs

A report issued by the White House and the Education Department states that the stimulus package has created or saved 250,000 education jobs. The Washington Post reports that without the $67 billion in federal aid provided through Sept. 30 under the economic stimulus law, state and local budgets for public schools and higher education would be hurting badly. In Virginia, stimulus aid accounted for 2 percent of regular K-12 funding and saved 72 education jobs in Richmond alone.

Even with these jobs being saved and created, many states are still facing major budget shortfalls. All over the country states are predicting major budget shortfalls for 2011. For more on this story click here.

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Need Emergency Care? Not So Fast

Would you ever think that surviving a major trauma would depend more on where it happened than what actually happened to you? Well that seems to be exactly the case according to the American College of Surgeons 2009 Clinical Congress. A report from the congress as reported by news-medical.net, shows the lack of surgeons working emergency trauma and lack of availability of trauma centers especially in rural areas, is a main reason why trauma is the leading cause of death for people under the age of 45 in the United States. A survey taken this year of trauma surgeons in each state, found that nearly 40% of the population may not be covered by a statewide trauma system.


A. Brent Eastman, M.D, FACS, vice-chair of the ACS Board of Regents and Chief Medical Officer, stressed the importance of trauma center availability to survival. "Coordinated, regionalized and accountable trauma systems are proven to get the right patients to the right hospital at the right time," said Dr. Eastman. "For victims of major trauma, access to timely, optimal care during the first 'golden' hour has been proven to save lives, restore function and prevent disability." More on this story here.

Small Businesses and Small Towns in Line for Big Gains

The Washington Post reports today that billions of dollars of bailout funds may soon be available to help small businesses. One plan from Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va) suggests pooling money from several areas, including the Federal Reserve, to allocate $50 billion to be used to lend to small businesses. Another plan set forth by the Treasury Department is much smaller calling for $10 billion of bailout funds and not involving the Federal Reserve.

"Both proposals attempt to speed aid to small businesses, which government officials say are essential to economic recovery because they employ so many workers," states the report. The idea is to give money to small community banks who would then loan the money to there community businesses. If successful it would be a big step toward saving jobs in small communities. More on this story can be found here.