Podcast Summary: Click Here – “Almost Heaven, no reception”

Host: Dina Temple-Raston (Recorded Future News)
Release Date: October 7, 2025

Overview

This episode explores America’s persistent digital divide through the lens of Obie Riley, a rural Mississippi farmer, mechanic, and district supervisor. Riley’s years-long fight for internet access in Philadelphia, Mississippi, illustrates broader challenges—how rural and marginalized communities are left behind as connectivity becomes increasingly essential. The story links historic struggles for infrastructure, from electricity to broadband, and examines how political shifts and tech policy reversals impact millions. Insights from experts—including the Brookings Institution and National Digital Inclusion Alliance—reveal what’s at stake as the U.S. decides whether internet is a privilege or a right.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Life in Rural Mississippi Without Broadband

• Rural Contrast: Philadelphia, MS is very different from its northern namesake—slower pace, agricultural focus, but plagued by poor internet.
  • “We do things really, really slow.” —Obie Riley [00:39]
• Personal Impact: As a farmer and mechanic, Obie can’t reliably access manuals or cloud services essential to his business.
  • “You can pump all of the television that 100 people couldn't watch, but they can't pump any Internet. And I don't understand that.” —Obie Riley [01:30]

2. Community and Political Apathy Toward Connectivity

• Some local leaders and constituents didn’t see high-speed internet as a priority, focusing instead on basics like roads and water.
  • “They really didn't care about what was going on in New York City...they were perfectly fine with that. That's a separish way of thinking.” —Obie Riley [05:10]
• Obie’s Vision: He argued digital access would bring job opportunities and economic growth, but struggled to persuade others.
  • “There's a ton of work at home, jobs…you can sit right here in Philadelphia, Mississippi, on Neshoba county and have a job that pays you, you know, 60,000 to six figures.” —Obie Riley [06:29]

3. The Economic and Logistical Challenges

• Rural broadband buildouts cost approximately 80% more than in urban areas due to distance and population density.
  • “Getting fiber optic cables into rural areas is notoriously expensive…fewer people and they're further apart, which means more cables and more digging…” —Dina Temple-Raston [06:59]

4. A Defining Crisis: The Pandemic

• COVID-19 exposed the stark digital divide: students and workers forced to use public Wi-Fi in library parking lots.
  • “Kids came together to do homework under streetlights…” —Dina Temple-Raston [09:13]
• Broader Impact: It became clear that internet was not a luxury but a necessity for education, healthcare, and work.

5. Historical Parallel: Rural Electrification

• The episode draws strong parallels to the 1930s, when government intervention brought electricity to rural America:
  • “In 1936, the government stepped in…Thus was created the Rural Electrification Administration…” —Dina Temple-Raston [11:00]
• Experts argue a similar federal effort is needed for broadband.
  • “We need the government in many respects to sort of help us to shepherd in universal connectivity as we once did with telephone service.” —Nicole Turner Lee [12:18]

6. Policy, Politics, and Digital Redlining

• Two-Party Approaches: Attempts at universal broadband have been inconsistent, swinging between infrastructure and programming based on political party in power.
  • “We have this ping pong that we play when it comes to getting people connected…” —Nicole Turner Lee [12:39]
• Digital Redlining: Telecom companies invest only where profitable, leaving marginalized communities behind.
  • “Companies could pick and choose where they wanted to build.…we've had a history of discrimination, particularly when it comes to black Americans.” —Nicole Turner Lee [13:29]

7. The Federal Response – Then Political Reversal

• The Biden-Harris administration pushed the largest federal investment yet in broadband infrastructure and digital literacy.
  • “We had not seen the type of monetary investment in both infrastructure as well as digital literacy and training…” —Nicole Turner Lee [14:42]
• Policy reversals soon followed (notably under President Trump), with digital equity grants being canceled and fiber no longer prioritized.
  • “President Trump called the Digital Equity act woke handouts based on race.” —Dina Temple-Raston [15:35]
  • “The money was gone. So were some of her staffers.” —Dina Temple-Raston [16:10]

8. Tech Neutrality & The Rise of Satellite Internet

• New funding criteria only consider lowest cost technology, deprioritizing fiber in favor of satellite (notably Starlink by Elon Musk).
  • “Technologically agnostic…produce the right access at the lowest price.” —Howard Lutnick (summarized) [16:23]
• Experts fear this “two-tier” system will help companies like Starlink, while low-income households can’t afford installation or service.
  • “Does a working mom…have 600 bucks that they could spend to get this thing? No, I would say not.” —Obie Riley [18:26]

9. What's at Stake

• With AI, telehealth, and democratic participation increasingly rooted online, those without adequate internet face growing disenfranchisement.
  • “The Internet isn't a utility, it's a gateway to the future. And once again, America has to decide who gets through.” —Dina Temple-Raston [19:38]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “It's beautiful here. We're very southern and we are very rural here. And we do things really, really slow.” —Obie Riley [00:39]
• “You can pump all of the television that 100 people couldn't watch, but they can't pump any Internet. And I don't understand that. That's the same stuff.” —Obie Riley [01:30]
• “I had a whole plan on how, how to monetize it, which really is… the tricky part of all of this.” —Obie Riley [06:54]
• “At no point did that become more clear than in the spring of 2020. Schools, businesses, grocery shopping, the entire world moved online. Or at least those who could did.” —Dina Temple-Raston [08:17]
• “We need the government in many respects to sort of help us to shepherd in universal connectivity as we once did with telephone service.” —Nicole Turner Lee [12:18]
• “The Internet isn't a utility, it's a gateway to the future. And once again, America has to decide who gets through.” —Dina Temple-Raston [19:38]

Important Timestamps

• [00:39] — Obie Riley describes rural life and connectivity issues
• [05:10] — Community apathy toward internet as priority
• [06:29] — The economic case for broadband
• [09:13] — Students forced to do homework in library parking lots during the pandemic
• [11:00] — History of rural electrification as parallel to broadband
• [12:39] — Nicole Turner Lee on policy “ping pong”
• [13:29] — Introduction of the term “digital redlining”
• [14:42] — New federal investments in broadband
• [15:35] — Politicization and reversal of digital equity grants
• [16:23] — Shift to tech neutrality and satellite preference
• [18:26] — Affordability barriers to satellite internet in rural America
• [19:38] — Concluding reflection: internet as gateway to the future

Closing Thoughts

This episode compellingly details the real-life impact of America’s uneven internet rollout, using vivid storytelling and first-hand testimony. By weaving history, policy, and personal stakes, it challenges listeners to reconsider whether universal broadband is merely a technological upgrade or a matter of social and economic justice. The stakes are rising, the divide is deepening, and the outcome will shape who participates in the digital future.