Decisions about investments in network infrastructure are another example of how institutional factors shape patterns of access. For example, Internet connectivity in rural America is limited by relatively weak telecommunications infrastructure investment. As a result, there is less competition among ISPs, rates are higher, and fewer households subscribe (Strover 1999). By contrast, the superior availability of infrastructure in urban areas is responsible for relatively rapid penetration of high-speed Internet access in urban public libraries, a development that has helped to increase formal access for the low-income and minority communities that many such libraries serve (Bertot & McClure 1998).