Industry groups: Financing, connectivity, information challenges hamper rural exports

Limited access to capital, broadband connectivity issues, a complex web of federal and state assistance programs and a dearth of accessible information are inhibiting export growth in rural U.S. communities, representatives from industry told a Senate panel this week. “Small and rural exporters face numerous challenges in entering global markets,” Reed Westcott, executive director at the Small Business Exporters Association, the trade arm of the National Small Business Association, told the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee’s tourism, trade and...