Damaged Public Lands for Rural Broadband Development

Benjamin W. Cramer · 2026 · Journal of Information Policy

Summary. Pennsylvania's rugged terrain creates broadband deserts, but damaged public lands from mining and logging offer a solution. The paper proposes repurposing these degraded state lands to build broadband infrastructure reaching nearby underserved communities. This approach transforms environmental liabilities into connectivity assets and provides a replicable model for states facing similar geographic and infrastructure challenges.

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Cramer, B. W.. (2026). Damaged Public Lands for Rural Broadband Development. Journal of Information Policy. https://doi.org/10.5325/jinfopoli.16.2026.0010

@article{cramer-2026-damaged-public-lands-rural-broadband,
  title   = {Damaged Public Lands for Rural Broadband Development},
  author  = {Benjamin W. Cramer},
  journal = {Journal of Information Policy},
  year    = {2026},
  doi     = {10.5325/jinfopoli.16.2026.0010},
  url     = {https://doi.org/10.5325/jinfopoli.16.2026.0010}
}

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TI  - Damaged Public Lands for Rural Broadband Development
AU  - Benjamin W. Cramer
JO  - Journal of Information Policy
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DO  - 10.5325/jinfopoli.16.2026.0010
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Details

DOI: 10.5325/jinfopoli.16.2026.0010
Countries: United States
Regions: North America
Categories: broadband-and-digital, policy, general-innovation
Added: 2026-08-01