Internet speeds that qualify as broadband are available to 5 percent or fewer residents in 18 of Nebraska’s 93 counties, with the problem mostly focused in rural communities.

Center for Rural Affairs Policy Director Johnathan Hladik says that’s a problem for Nebraska’s many rural towns, many of which will need broadband for economic development

Hladik says coverage maps currently used by Nebraska to determine how many people are covered in rural communities need to be re-drawn

Hladik says the state has been using less-effective methods of monitoring coverage ever since; and that’s led to large over-estimations about who’s covered.