America needs greater access to broadband Internet to spur economic growth, innovation, and job creation. To date, gains in household broadband take-up are not evenly distributed across all demographic groups or geographic areas. While from 2001 to 2007, the percentage of households in the United States with access to broadband Internet services grew from 9% to 51%, just over half of the households in urban areas (54%) reported home-based broadband Internet use and only 39% of the households in rural areas reported broadband use in the home. This report discusses how the technology available in today's public libraries can help reduce the broadband access gap for families, while providing a wide range of information resources and services. Future budget and policy decisions regarding the deployment of broadband should consider not only household penetration rates, but also the role that libraries can play in addressing broadband priorities at the state and local levels. (Contains 2 figures.)