About this time every December, I take a quick second to think about everything we’ve accomplished together over the last year. And it was quite a year. We continued the ongoing fight to sustain universal service and saw many members take the FCC’s Enhanced Alternative Connect America Cost Model (A-CAM) offers even as we also fought to obtain some relief from the budget control mechanism that limits Connect America Fund-Broadband Loop Support. Just as NTCA was actively engaged in advocacy on these immediate efforts, we were busy developing strategies for what will need to come next for universal service updates, and we look forward to working with you on these issues as well in 2024 and beyond. Relatedly, we continue to participate actively in every pending judicial challenge to universal service, and we continue to press for common-sense contribution reform at the FCC and in the halls of Congress.
In addition, we have engaged with federal and state policymakers on implementation of the Broadband, Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) funding. We helped usher in changes to the BEAD Build America Buy America and letter of credit requirements, and we’ve worked closely with NTCA members and our state association colleagues in the crafting of state proposals that will govern the awarding of BEAD funds. Also on the funding front, our members collectively received well over $1 billion in U.S Department of Agriculture ReConnect awards to deploy fiber infrastructure in rural communities. Of course, it’s important that funding gets to the right places and isn’t denied where it’s still needed – and, to this end, we have led the charge on drawing greater attention to concerns with current broadband mapping. Finally, we shined a light on the need to create a broadband workforce of the future and help secure rural networks as cybersecurity threats persist.
Through all this and so much more, we truly have achieved a lot together. But then I quickly remember that our work on behalf of community-based providers goes beyond advocacy goals and policy wins. We must keep up our momentum to build a better broadband future for rural America after all through a comprehensive effort that supports what you do.
With that in mind, let me just say that 2024 is going to be a big year! In addition to everything happening in the industry, we also have three very important anniversaries that I want to highlight.
First, 2024 marks the 70th anniversary of NTCA. I love history, specifically our history, so allow me to take a quick look back. The path to our creation started in the 1890's, as the independent telephone industry began to develop throughout rural America. This was in large part because these parts of the country were ignored by the Bell telephone system. As policymakers in Washington started to consider how to fund upgrades of these systems in later decades, the need for an independent national organization to represent small telephone companies was at an all-time high, and in 1954, NTCA was born. The rest, as they say, is history.
Second, 2024 marks the 30th anniversary of the Foundation for Rural Service (FRS). The philanthropic arm of NTCA, FRS has spent the last three decades playing a unique role within the telecommunications industry by providing rural telecom providers, consumers and policymakers with educational information, products and programming and celebrating what connectivity does for rural communities.
In those 30 years, the foundation has benefitted the people and communities served by NTCA member partners in many ways. For example, over the years, nearly $2 million has been awarded as scholarships to students; more than $700,000 in FRS Community Grants has gone to schools, hospitals, libraries, municipalities and nonprofit organizations; and more than 2,500 students from across the country have attended the FRS Youth Tour in Washington, D.C.
A final milestone (See? I told you we had a lot to celebrate!) in 2024 is the 55th anniversary of the NTCA Rural Broadband PAC. With member support, the PAC supports policymakers who are eager to advance broadband access in rural communities. With member support, we can speak with one voice, support the goals of rural broadband providers, and enable education of political candidates.
I share all of this with you because, as you know, I’m incredibly passionate about the mission of NTCA and the work our members do every day. And that’s not just because I’ve worked here a long time! My “first term” with NTCA was 20 years of service before I left briefly for “the dark side.” I have been in my current role just over 13 years and can’t think of a better industry, membership and individual group of people to have worked with over those many years. The list of memories runs long. From being at the table to help craft the 1996 Telecom Act that codified into law Universal Service to the formulation, passage and signing of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act in 2021 and all the industry progress in between, our work means a lot to me.
Still, the most important to me are the relationships I have made with our members over my nearly 34 years of being part of the NTCA family. The friendships and relationships built in this industry are special and have always made my team and I much more passionate about the work we do on your behalf.
So, with that, I hope you are as excited as I am to celebrate three very important anniversaries next year. We’ll have some fun surprises for you along the way.
Here’s to many more industry achievements, memories and years together.
Happy holidays!