Describing dial-up Internet service as the dinosaur of the wired world is inaccurate. That archaic method of connecting to the Web isn't extinct.

Of course, other than Luddites or those too lazy to upgrade, who would want to use it? It's the 21st-century example of using hammer and chisel on a stone tablet to compose a letter.

There's a better, quicker, more efficient way.

Unfortunately, some Americans — especially those in rural areas — have no choice but to use dial-up to conduct everyday business on the Web. For those without access to faster broadband service, the Internet is no information superhighway.

It's a slow, frustrating lane that hinders activities, limits what workers can accomplish and reduces what online classes students can take.

Thus, it is no small matter that a coalition of prominent business leaders is urging President Obama to prioritize upgrading of the nation's broadband availability. Yes, the Obama White House has much on its plate: two wars, a recession, record joblessness, health-care reform and next year's mid-term elections — and more.

But this influential coalition, laboriously titled the Knight Commission on the Information Needs of Communities in a Democracy, should not be ignored. Its name is cumbersome, but its message of providing a fast flow of online information in America is spot-on accurate.

It's regrettable that Alabama is one of those states laden with rural areas devoid of broadband service, yet there's comfort in knowing that some in Montgomery long ago made the issue of improving access to high-speed Internet connections a top concern.

Gov. Bob Riley's broadband initiative, ConnectingALABAMA, is a two-year plan designed to improve accessibility and locate barriers to high-speed service in the state. Riley also frequently touts the state's ACCESS program, which has linked the state's public schools and eliminated many examples of smaller schools providing fewer academic choices than those in larger, more urban districts.

The governor's words from earlier this summer still ring true: "Broadband service for every community is essential to Alabama's success in the 21st century."

In this instance, Alabama provides an example of why the Obama administration should act on the Knight Commission's suggestions. It's attention this state should welcome.

As technology advances, the world will only become more wired, the activities of our lives intertwined with the Web: Doing our jobs, paying bills, going to school, communicating with friends. That's not going to change.

Nearly all of the Western world long ago wholeheartedly embraced high-speed service. America's rural areas need these same advantages.