I can see this being a factor. I know a lot of people who look at broadband access when they're finding a place to live. Most companies now have major needs for high-speed internet access between multiple offices so work can be done by people throughout a company, rather than just in a local office. Plus, with large digital files needing to be transferred on a regular basis via e-mail or FTP services, not having good broadband can be a problem. For smaller localities, it seems easier to upgrade the existing infrastructure and provide high-quality high-speed services, rather than what it would take to upgrade a large metro area. Not to mention quality of life issues being in many cases better on smaller towns, like lower crime rates, less traffic, and lower cost of living.