Appalachia Doesn’t Need AI. It Needs Internet That Works.

I’m in rural Appalachia right now. Stunning nature, truly rich. The phone service is garbage. The internet barely loads. And yet people here are expected to compete in the same economy as the rest of us. I was in rural India recently—real rural, not Bangalore. Everyone had cheap 4G. Kids doing homework on phones. Farmers checking market prices. Grandmas on WhatsApp video calls. It’s basic infrastructure there. It’s a joke here.

JD Vance grew up in this region. He knows. But instead of fighting for real connectivity, he’s busy playing culture war cosplay for the cameras.

Here’s the truth: You can’t talk about AI in Appalachia until you can load a website. You want economic revival? Start with functioning broadband. Until then, all the tech talk is just noise.

How the fuck can a rural kid in India be able to play with AI whereas a kid in America barely gets internet?