I am confronted daily with the fact that we are entering uncharted territory in the rural communications industry and that our future is going to be unlike anything we’ve seen in recent years. We all know the speed of change in telecommunications has been astronomical. I don’t see that changing given the national broadband plan (NBP). I’m working with our staff to take a comprehensive look at our internal operations, our member services and our external input from members to create a future for our organization that not only reflect the needs of the industry, but also anticipates where you need to be to best serve your consumers. One of the very critical components of this process is our strategic planning process for NTCA. The NTCA board is totally revamping how we approach strategic planning to be truly strategic in our thinking and positioning. The times we live in and the challenges we are faced with require us to shed our old ways and transform our thinking, our planning and our offerings to ensure that we can deliver the resources, tools and information that help you thrive in an innovative and ever-changing world. I’ll keep you posted on our strategic planning process as we move along. I know that together we will build a future for you and NTCA that delivers high-speed broadband to rural consumers and helps rural communities thrive…that should be our ultimate goal.
2 comments
Bill Buchanan
November 6, 2010 at 11:43 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
“Change starts when someone sees the next step.”
— William Drayton
Shirley, I thought this was a fitting quote. I think you have a clear vision of the next step.
Keep up the good work!
Bill-
Shirley Bloomfield
November 8, 2010 at 4:46 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Bill – I really like that saying and might just have to tape that to my computer screen. Change can be unsettling – but you all in this rural telecom industry certainly are no strangers to rapid change. It’s just time that NTCA tried to match your changes with how we do business as well. Sometimes easier said than done but still necessary!