This paper presents the activities of the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) for 2009. The past year was one of accomplishment for USAC. USAC implemented a host of advances in operations, infrastructure, and outreach in an effort to continue to improve collection and disbursement of the Universal Service Fund (USF) support and to…

This report identifies those federal programs that are essentially rural and pursue economic development purposes. Using the 10 Beale population codes, 2,097 of the 3,096 U.S. counties, containing 16% of the U.S. population, were defined as rural (had urban populations of less than 20,000). The approximately 800 federal domestic assistance…

The revolution in telecommunications technology will be a driving force in the future economic growth of rural areas. Federal and state universal service policies requiring delivery of service to rural areas were major factors in how the telephone system evolved during the 20th century. In the 1990s, telephone penetration rates were similar for…

In the early 1960's, the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) established a goal to make health care more accessible to the people of the mountains. Today, a primary health care facility is within a 30 minute drive of nearly all Appalachian counties. There has also been a substantial, but still inadequate increase in health care professionals in…

The causes of rural/urban educational inequalities are multiple and diverse, and their analysis requires multi-disciplinary, longitudinal research. In this Polish study, preliminary examination of macrostatistical data on rural/urban disparities revealed the limitations of dichotomous analysis. In a broad, in-depth approach designed to develop a…

Examines how the Mexican government's penetration into 299 rural and urban counties, 1900-40, was related to growth in trade and service jobs. Emphasizes the government's support for written literacy and mass schooling as subtle strategies for incorporating peasants into urban institutions. Contains 39 references. (SV)

This report addresses current economic conditions in rural America and offers recommendations about the role the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) can play in providing rural development. The Task Force identifies issues for rural policy in the 1990's focusing on economic development. Current rural programs are described and…

This report questions whether high-tech development is an option for rural counties in the United States by examining the spatial location, industrial composition, growth experience, and environmental factors associated with high-tech industries in such counties. Using a highly detailed database of manufacturing plants and estimates of employment,…

Although fiscal year 1981 was a time of uncertainty for the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC), Congress did appropriate $218.2 million for the highway program and $87 million for area development, research and local development districts (LDDs), and administrative costs. Coupled with other federal funds and funds from state and local sources,…

Reviews employment growth in rural and small town communities, focusing on two periods, 1940-70 and 1970-80. For the rest of the 1980s, predicts a slower growth in nonmetro areas--that is, slower than in metro areas and slower than in the 1970s--yet not as slow as in the 1960s. (JHZ)

This publication presents indicators of social and economic conditions in Arkansas highlighting urban and rural differences. Initial information includes a discussion of the definition of "rural" and a display of classification schemes used to describe the regions of Arkansas. The remainder of the document contains data for 1990, state…

A study was conducted to determine whether the two-year college facilities and programs available to residents of Fauquier County in Virginia were adequate to meet their current and future needs. Lord Fairfax Community College and Germanna Community College, which share responsibility for serving this rural county, recently combined their…

An estimated 44,340 longer term resident households in rural Kentucky were studied to identify the variables that explained changes in household income status between 1974-79. In a nine-county area of south-central Kentucky, rapid employment growth between 1974 and 1979 created new job opportunities, but employment growth did not benefit all…

A Kentucky population projection presents 1980 census counts and projections for 1985, 1990, 1995, 2000, 2010, and 2020 for the state, its 15 area development districts, and its 120 counties. Populations are broken down by gender and 5-year age groups through 85 years and over, with age summaries for 0-18 years, 19-64 years, and 65 years and over.…

Effective rural development planning depends on facts and analysis based, not on rural averages, but on the diverse social and economic structure of rural America. Programs tailored to particular types of rural economies may be more effective than generalized programs. Because of their unique characteristics, government policies and economic…