High Speed for the Sparsely Wired

By Susanna G. Kim - Cynthia K. Wegener and her husband, owners of a farm and horse-breeding business in western Kansas, will be able to upload a photograph of a horse to show a potential buyer in seconds, not the 20 to 30 minutes they now need with dial-up service.

The types of Internet activities that most Americans take for granted -- watching videos, downloading songs, social...