HTC Partners with Community Schools

Halstad Telephone Co. (HTC), Minnesota

Halstad Telephone Co. (HTC) in Halstad, Minn., has taken the meaning of community partnership to a whole new level. HTC's work with its area schools has not only enhanced educational opportunities for school children but also provided resources and access to technologies that never would have been possible otherwise.

In the 1990s, HTC wired area schools with fiber to run an interactive television (ITV) network that would allow classes to be taught from one school to another. For example, if there was a teacher for Advanced Placement Spanish at one school and not another, the class could be taught by remote video at the school without the resources for a Spanish teacher. The idea was to use broadband-fueled technology to overcome situations where a lack of resources was keeping students from accessing the quality education the school wanted to give them.

In 2010, HTC financed access to Discovery Education's multimedia and interactive content service for all four of its local K-12 schools. Teachers, through Discovery Education training tools, learned the full extent of what they could offer their students with an Ethernet, fiber-based network: They streamed video segments, downloaded multimedia and created online programs for students. Within the first two months alone, the Halstad school district doubled its Internet use. HTC's action to provide schools with access didn't stop there: The telco equipped school gyms with the ability to uplink live sports events. Each school has its own channel on HTC cable television where they cover everything from baseball to concerts.

Lack of access to broadband is a significant barrier to adoption. By creating a strong partnership with local schools, Halstad has increased broadband adoption and made a lasting impact on the quality of education within its community.