The United States continues to experience a persistent rural-urban digital divide. However, in this area of research, less attention has been paid to the divide in regions between these two demographic and geographic extremes. In this paper, we examine the perceived effects of internet inaccessibility in this in-between space, which we term “quasi-rural.” Using quasi-rural Illinois as a case study, semi-structured interview data is used to highlight the experiences of those who are directly affected by the digital divide, as well as those who provide service alternatives and advocate for internet connectivity. With this data, we describe the personal experience of at-home internet inaccessibility. We then focus on how limited, or a lack of access shapes the perceptions of community connectedness and disadvantage among those affected by the divide. Our findings demonstrate the internet’s function as social infrastructure; differences in access are then conceptualized as a form of socioeconomic inequality.

美国继续经历着持续的城乡数字鸿沟。但是，在这一研究领域中，人们对这两个人口和地理极端情况之间的区域划分的关注较少。在本文中，我们研究了在这种中间空间中互联网不可访问性的感知影响，我们称其为“准农村”。以半农村伊利诺伊州为例，使用半结构化访谈数据来突出显示那些直接受到数字鸿沟影响的人们以及提供服务选择并倡导互联网连接的人们的经历。借助这些数据，我们描述了在家中无法访问互联网的个人经历。然后，我们关注的是有限度或缺乏访问权如何影响受鸿沟影响的人们对社区联系和劣势的看法。我们的发现证明了互联网作为社会基础设施的功能。然后将获取的差异概念化为一种社会经济不平等形式。