> What's stopping them from pursuing online education or skills training in their current location?
That said, some skills are best taught in a hands-on fashion. Add to that such learning approaches are more easily adapted to by some than others.
Rural telephone service and electricity both required subsidization by those who've opted to lead more practical lives i.e. lives where phone and electricity and other various utilities don't have to be directly subsidized by others.
Is it fair to force people who make reasoned and informed decisions about their own lives and where they live to pay for the decisions of those who prefer the country life?
I'm not advocating forcing people to move, under any circumstances.