In an age where digital connectivity is the lifeblood of economic growth and innovation, rural small businesses in Idaho find themselves at a crossroads. 

According to SCORE, the nation’s leading network of mentors to America’s small business owners and a partner of the U.S. Small Business Administration, rural entrepreneurs are twice as likely as nonrural entrepreneurs—19.2% versus 9%, respectively—to cite lack of broadband/high-speed internet access as a technology challenge.

Small businesses, especially those in rural areas, are increasingly reliant on technology for their operations, customer outreach, and access to talent. High-speed internet is the backbone of these endeavors, offering them the ability to compete on a level playing field with their urban counterparts.

“The importance of broadband cannot be overstated,” writes attorney Neil A. Belson in the report Promoting Rural Entrepreneurship and Rural Economic Development for the national think tank Third Way. “Lack of broadband in a community is, in the words of one rural developer, a ‘death sentence’ for a community.”

A recent article in the Idaho Business Review, “Link Up Idaho, Agencies Launch Statewide High-Speed Internet Initiative,” gives hope to rural entrepreneurs and established business owners who rely on technology to operate their businesses successfully.

The Idaho Department of Commerce’s $583 million grant under the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program to expand broadband access is a positive first step to bridge the technology gap between rural and urban businesses. And as businesses gain access to new technology, SCORE offers a centralized resource hub—SCORE for Rural Entrepreneurs—to help business owners maximize their connectivity.

“Starting and growing a successful small business can be more difficult in rural America, but it can also be more impactful,” says Betsy Dougert, SCORE vice president of external relations. “When rural small businesses thrive, that success ripples out to infuse rural towns and communities with new jobs, innovation, and productivity.”

And while rural businesses are smaller and grow more slowly, they also are more likely to be profitable and have longer survival rates, reports Priyanka Prakash, in the article “Rural Small Businesses Earn Better Profits and More Financing vs. City Ones” at NerdWallet’s small business financial resource site Fundera.

In addition to economic benefits, improved internet access would enhance education, health care, and overall quality of life in rural Idaho, empowering small businesses and helping create a brighter future for everyone in the Gem State.

Roughly 80% of Idaho is rural, including 35 of the state’s 44 counties, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 

Half of those counties are considered to be “frontier,” having fewer than six people per square mile. 

With seven population centers serving as home to 66% of Idahoans, one-third of the state’s population resides in these rural areas. That’s certainly not small potatoes.

Tony Delmercado, co-founder and president of Hawke Media, is a Boise, Idaho-based business owner and a mentor who volunteers with SCORE Treasure Valley.