I spend a lot of time on the road, so much so that I am never actively looking for another trip to add to the calendar. However, when Jase Wilson with Broadband Money reached out to share that he was convening a gathering of broadband leaders in Florida to have some off-the-record conversations about funding, state activity, challenges, and opportunities and asked me to be around the table, it was hard to say no. The thought of nice weather while a December chill was coming across the country didn't hurt either!
I am not sure that any of us attending quite knew what to expect. From state broadband office leaders to community leaders to a few policymakers and interested parties, the conversations were fast-paced and ran the gamut from technology to deployment to sustainability of networks to the role that anchor institutions play in the mix. We also all committed to Chatham House rules which meant that what was said in the hotel conference room stayed there. So, while I won't be dishing on anything in particular, I will say the opportunity to engage with folks who I have known for a long time and those I just had the pleasure of meeting (including state broadband leaders from across the country) made the trip worthwhile, even with a broken plane and four-hour delay home on the back end.
My one take-away that I can share was my own reflection that, after sitting with these folks for 24 hours, it is extremely important to expand and engage our NTCA member companies in our Smart Communities and particularly our Smart Rural Community program. The need to differentiate yourself as a community-based provider has never been more important. Much of the conversation on un/underserved areas of the country was teed up with a subtle (and sometimes not subtle) dig at incumbents. By the time I had my five minutes to do a "So You've Built the Network, Now What?" lightning round on network sustainability, I used one minute of my precious five to share the difference between incumbents who are driven by their more lucrative markets and those who have a long, rich history of serving their friends and neighbors and wear a badge of honor for being local.
Our NTCA team is hard at work putting together our 2023 Smart Communities roadmap with tools and ideas for the year ahead (and a fabulous new Smart Notes newsletter full of recent activities and ideas), but I truly think the time is now for all NTCA members to participate in this advocacy-branding program to better differentiate how community-based providers really are focused on building future-proof networks that empower their communities and make them smart! I am inspired by folks like Cass Communications (Virginia, Ill.) who have made it a mission to recognize every community they serve with their fiber technology as a Smart Rural Community, delivering road signs and coffee cups while they chat with local leaders on how their technology will power these communities forward.
Come join us today!