NORTH DAKOTA ( KXNET ) — Nowadays, it’s hard to imagine life without internet access. Like having access to water or energy, having the internet is a staple of modern life.

“Broadband connectivity is critical,” said Carissa Swenson, the executive director of the Broadband Association of North Dakota, a nonprofit organization that has helped bring internet to even the most remote regions of the state. “We need it for school; we need it for work; we need it to stay connected to our loved ones. It’s a critical part of everyday life.”

But only a few decades ago, getting online was a tiring process, requiring people to dial into computer servers and sort through text-based pages like an encyclopedia.

And as this August marks the 34th anniversary of the first website, an invention that revolutionized how we find information online, many North Dakotans may be wondering how well connected the state is to the rest of the world, especially since nearly half of all North Dakotans live in rural, sometimes isolated communities.

According to the North Dakota Information Technology Department, about 95% of North Dakotans have access to internet that’s 100 Mbps or higher, ranking the state in the top 10 for internet access in the country.

In fact, the North Dakota state government boasts that North Dakota is ranked as first.

According to Swenson, North Dakota’s circumstance isn’t just from luck; it’s from the fact that providers in the state put one thing over everything else: community.

About 98% of North Dakota’s service providers come from locally owned companies, not national ones. These providers are often run by families or co-ops that cater to the unique needs of those who live in rural areas.

And without nonprofits like Broadband supporting these providers, North Dakota’s rural communities would remain isolated.

“While there could be an argument that everybody, even in urban areas, needs internet, which I agree,” said Swenson, “I almost think it’s more important for the rural folks to have connectivity because it allows them to be connected in ways that they couldn’t be otherwise.”

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