In political planning, the assumption of “universal coverage” is the new blind spot. Step into farm country, down a gravel road, or through the hills where broadband still buffers, and you’ll hear the truth humming through the radio dial.
It carries the message when digital can’t, and that’s where democracy still talks.
According to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), many BEAD-funded broadband projects remain in early planning or vendor-selection stages, with construction still pending in most states. That means many rural areas will wait years for reliable connectivity.
And the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Farm Computer Usage Report shows that about 15% of U.S. farms still report having no internet access at all, while many others depend on unstable cellular or satellite connections.
Yet digital campaigns continue to claim full coverage in these very ZIPs. That disconnect isn’t just technical — it’s representational.
When a voter can’t be reached, they can’t be informed. When they can’t be informed, they can’t be persuaded. That’s not a data gap — that’s a democratic one.
Coverage gaps don’t just silence ads — they silence voters.
The Airwaves Advantage
For rural voters, radio is still the daily briefing — local, trusted, and on during the hours when work and news intersect. The National Association of Farm Broadcasters (NAFB) reports that 89% of farmers listen while driving and 73% while operating equipment — moments when streaming isn’t even an option.
When broadband fails, radio fills the silence. When power cuts, it’s often the only voice left. That consistency is why radio continues to outperform digital in awareness and trust among rural audiences — not because it’s nostalgic, but because it’s reliable.
The Counties Campaigns Forget
In key elections, narrow margins and shifts in turnout have altered statewide outcomes. Those margins are often built — or lost — in areas that planners overlook. Ignoring rural voters isn’t a strategy gap; it’s an outcome risk.
Campaigns that stop at metro borders leave not just blank coverage, but blank ballots. In politics, the counties you skip today may be the ones that decide tomorrow.
The Voices Between the Lines
Out here, communication isn’t abstract — it’s personal. Farm broadcasters know their listeners by name, and local DJs double as county fair emcees and emergency voices when storms roll through. That kind of connection can’t be geo-fenced or optimized — it’s earned.
You can buy reach, but you can’t automate trust.
When messages reach these communities over the radio, they carry weight that algorithms can’t measure. That’s what makes rural airtime one of the last places democracy still feels like a conversation.
Beyond the Static
As broadband expansion slowly moves forward, campaigns can’t afford to wait for the construction crews. They have to meet voters where the connection already exists — on the airwaves that cross state lines, county lines, and party lines.
Beyond metros, democracy doesn’t stream. It broadcasts.
Kathleen Miller Fink is the Managing Partner of bisqqit, a geo-coded radio mapping platform that helps agencies and broadcasters plan smarter, more efficient coverage. A 22-year veteran of national radio sales, she also works with Data Soup Visuals to support political and advocacy mapping across large, medium, small, and rural markets nationwide.
