Burgess sees a pattern of migration to small towns and identified four factors involved in that migration. First, technology is making it easier for people to disperse, as instant communication makes one's location less important. Then there is a social movement towards greater simplicity. And the deregulation of telecommunications, transportation and financial services make it possible to build locally and lend globally.
Distance is less and less a problem.
Burgess also sees the future of communications and that of the computer as tied together. Over half of computer users today use it for communication, and this year it was used more for commerce than for education. Since telecommunications eliminates the problem of distance, rural areas stand to gain. But they also stand to lose, if the problem of regulation is not handled properly. The solution, according to Burgess, lies in true deregulation, which means prices go to cost, and there is equal access.