I totally get it: there are so many events going on in the rural broadband field that it can truly be hard to keep track of everything. But the one summit that is different from so many of the others is Smart Rural Community Live, which is taking place for the second time this June in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
As is typical in the trade association world, we gather and talk to ourselves (or have someone else come talk to us). What I found so energizing about last year’s Smart Rural Community Live was the other critical rural voices in the room and around the table. From community leaders to state broadband offices to economic development specialists to rural policy leaders to smart ag app developers, the buzz was real. You could feel the energy in the room.
This year, we will be building on that energy and focusing on partnerships, collaborations and learning from one another. The meeting comes just as state broadband offices are setting a priority on the public private partnerships that providers are creating and will show how to help move this historic broadband funding program forward. With this heavy focus on funding and rural communities, attendees who are eager to grow their networks or amplify how their communities are utilizing their already robust networks will find this gathering to be an ideal opportunity to exchange ideas with others.
I am already thrilled by the folks who have agreed to come and share thoughts and ideas with NTCA members (and their gratis community development partners if they choose to bring them).
Kathryn de Wit, project director of the Pew Charitable Trusts’ Broadband Access Initiative, will help kick off a discussion about national partners with the lead rural America liaison at the White House and the head of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s Office of Intergovernmental Affairs, whose role it is to build a bridge between the agency, the state broadband offices, the governor’s offices and everyone else who falls on that spectrum. Whew, the breadth of that job gets me tired just thinking about it.
Couple that with break outs on public health and safety (or as our team refers to it, “How technology is being used to address the things we don’t like to talk about”), where esports and education meet, virtual reality solutions in telehealth, smart ag, economic development, broadband funding and more and you have the recipe for a very informative conference.
I get excited every week when our team gives me an update on where we are with our growing Smart Rural Community designations, all so timely as this advocacy branding tool is the best thing I can think of for sharing why you are deserving of additional funding resources. What better way to highlight your motivation and long track record of building networks to benefit your communities?
And fun fact: in the spirit of who is engaged in our industry and really focused on telling their story of building broadband in rural America, 90 percent of the 500 attendees who attended our annual fly-in to Washington, D.C. are from our Smart Rural/Smart Communities program.
Our next goal? Getting more NTCA members to join our platform so we can truly and effectively differentiate our community-based providers with a long, rich history of service from so many of the new entrants into the broadband space chasing dollars. We’ll never have the resources to create a brand like the electric coops have with Touchstone Energy, nor will we be sponsoring major sporting events, but we have something even better: a national network of rural broadband providers who are getting the job done for their neighbors, friends and family.
If you are already a Smart Rural Community provider, come join us and share how you use its branding and tools. If you are not yet a Smart Rural Community provider, come join us and hear what all the fuss is about!