A reporter at the Fiber Field Day in Missouri, a celebration of all things fiber broadband, asked a few of the speakers to talk about how rare it is for broadband companies that work in the same state to cohost events where grant funding and deployment strategies are discussed.
No doubt looking for a little drama, he was surprised to hear everyone answer with varying versions of, “It’s actually very common” and, “We all share the same goal of connecting rural America.”
Though it was not the expected answer, it was a really good opportunity to talk about the point of Fiber Field Day. The event, hosted by six Smart Rural CommunitySM(SRC) providers and NTCA members from across Missouri, served as a unique opportunity to highlight all things good about fiber broadband and the work of community-based providers in Missouri.
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Participating Providers
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Policymakers, industry partners and community stakeholders gathered at GRM Networks’ (Princeton, Mo.) headquarters to hear about how fiber is being deployed across rural parts of the state and the endless opportunities created through connectivity.
Following remarks by each provider, White House Director of Strategic Engagement Will McIntee noted that Smart Rural Community providers are not only winning broadband grants but also getting fiber into the ground quickly — an important characteristic considering Missouri received the third largest Broadband Equity, Access, Deployment (BEAD) program allocation, behind Texas and California, to connect those who are not yet connected.
With new connections come more opportunities for remote work, telehealth, distance learning, economic development and more. Sound familiar? Those same opportunities are at the heart of the SRC program as well.
A Smart Community is about connection – grandparents to grandchildren, teachers to students, neighbors to friends – made possible by carefully vetted, fiber-based broadband providers who help their communities thrive. These community-based providers know it’s not just about putting fiber in the ground; it’s about what that connection enables. It’s about partnering with local hospitals to start telehealth programs. Or attracting more residents to a community to telework or start an online business. Or helping students with distance learning or so much more.
All those present at Fiber Field Day know and do this well. They regularly lift their community heroes and they never settle for “just good enough.”
The event also was a chance for the public to get a firsthand look at all that goes into building broadband networks. All too often, the internet and broadband can seem like an abstract concept. Once you plug a router into the wall, you have Wi-Fi in your home. But there is a lot more to it. Attendees of Fiber Field Day were treated to a hands-on demonstration of how to splice fiber and operate heavy construction equipment to dig trenches for fiber cable.
Fiber Field Day was a great example of ways NTCA members can educate policymakers and the public, showcase their work and highlight their commitment to their communities. It also underscored that there is a network of community-based providers who constantly innovate and collaborate to deliver broadband connectivity, operate essential services and serve as a catalyst for growth in rural communities and small towns across the country.
When providers share the same goal of connecting the unconnected, it only makes sense to learn from and collaborate with their peers — so much so that any mention of “rare partnerships” was absent from news stories after all.