Feb 24th, 2009 | JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- A speedier Internet hookup might be on its way to some of Missouri's rural residents, courtesy of federal stimulus funds.

About one-fifth of the state's residents live in areas without access to high-speed Internet, according to a 2007 study from the Missouri Public Service Commission, which regulates telecommunications companies and other utilities. Rural areas generally have a much higher percentage than urban cores.

A sliver of the federal economic stimulus package is aimed at bridging that high-speed gap.

The package includes $7.2 billion for broadband expansion nationally, most of which is aimed at underserved rural areas. Portions also are set aside for mapping which areas do not receive service and for providing connections to community colleges and libraries.

The broadband funding would come in the form of competitive grants and loans, though the law says each state should expect to receive some portion of the money. Applicants also are required to provide part of a project's funding.

As a member of Gov. Jay Nixon's economic stimulus council, Carter County Presiding Commissioner Gene Oakley is helping decide how the state can access grants such as the broadband funds. He said the problem is personal.

"We cannot get high-speed Internet here," said Oakley, who lives several miles outside Van Buren. "My wife's just totally frustrated. She's a big computer person."

The state is interested in applying for some of federal Internet money but does not yet have a detailed proposal, said Department of Economic Development spokesman John Fougere.

If the state does apply for the funds, it could use the work of a rural broadband task force that released a report just before Nixon took office.

Task force member Bill Mitchell is the executive director of MOREnet, which provides high-speed connections to schools and libraries across the state. Although he doesn't handle business or residential hookups, he said getting rural areas online is much more costly and time consuming than urban areas.

Mitchell said the next step is mapping which parts of Missouri cannot get access. With a detailed map, he said, the state could then address how to build a network.

He said an expanded network could include municipal wireless stations placed on utility poles or water towers and new fiber optic lines laid by the state or traditional Internet providers.

"Particularly when you're talking about the home, there's not a one-size-fits-all approach," Mitchell said.

As opposed to Internet service provided through cable TV or high-speed telephone lines, many rural areas are served by dial-up Internet access or satellite, which many people say is too expensive or unreliable.

But Internet providers say it's simply not cost-effective to build networks in areas with only a few potential subscribers.

Monroe, La.-based CenturyTel Inc., which serves much of southern Missouri, says 85 percent of the company's telephone lines in the state are also capable of providing DSL. Spokeswoman Annmarie Sartor said federal stimulus funding could help the company push its network into more thinly populated areas.

"A large focus for us is pushing broadband farther and farther out into our markets," Sartor said.

David Klindt, another member of the broadband task force, said he would like a network to be built with future speeds in mind.

"We don't need to build just for today. We need to look into the future," said Klindt, the vice president of the Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives. "We should make sure the infrastructure is able to handle things for the next few years down the road."

He said an expanded network would result in more business activity in rural areas and additional education opportunities through online courses.