The Foundation for Rural Service (FRS) is your foundation. NTCA is both proud and lucky to have FRS as our philanthropic arm, partnering with all of you—our community-based broadband providers—to make a difference in the rural communities where you serve. I’m so excited to share some of the terrific things that are going on at FRS this summer and encourage you to find a way to get involved.
In August, FRS will take 14 House and Senate staffers to Vermont to learn about rural broadband and the role it plays in successful communities. The Congressional Broadband Tour will give the Hill staff members (many of whom have never been to a truly rural area) a first-hand look at the challenges and celebrations you face every day as community-based providers. This is a signature activity that I give a lot of credit to when we have needed to move the policy needle on Capitol Hill. Nothing beats these staffers getting on the road and seeing the challenges of providing broadband in rural America!
I also love the FRS Rural Run 5K because it is a way to do some healthy exercise while benefiting FRS! Now in its third year, the September event is a way for you, your family, or your friends to be active. Be sure to sign up by August 10 to get your T-shirt in time for the event. NTCA members who participate in GHP Wellness Connections may use this event toward their yearly activity requirement, but I encourage all NTCA members to participate. I am looking forward to bringing Cassie and Madigan with me as we likely walk a good portion of that 5K…but we’ll be out there!
Do you know a nonprofit organization in your area doing important work? I hope you’ll help them apply for the annual FRS Community Grants. Past grant awards have helped schools purchase laptops and robotics curricula, provided life-saving equipment for first responder teams, and even made it possible to upgrade a neighborhood playground with adaptive equipment. Applications for these grants of up to $5,000 are due by August 31 from NTCA members via Member Central. Check it out!
After a two-year hiatus, FRS welcomed 60 high school students and 14 chaperones to Washington, D.C., in early June for the FRS Youth Tour. This was the 25th year for the Youth Tour, which gives kids the opportunity to visit the nation’s capital, tour historic sites and museums, and learn more about what happens on Capitol Hill and at the FCC. Thank you to all the members who sent kids to participate in this unique experience. Their energy and enthusiasm are contagious and help us remember why Washington, D.C., is a special place. I am certain they brought back great experiences and stories to share with your boards and communities.
If you have new employees or company directors, I encourage you to check out the Glossary of Telecommunications and Broadband Terms to help explain those complicated processes and tricky acronyms. You can purchase a print copy of the Glossary online for $4, or check out the new online version, complete with the sound of turning pages and a search function. The more acronyms this industry creates, the more valuable this glossary becomes.
FRS programs are possible because of the generous companies and individuals who make a gift to FRS or attend one of their fundraising events. If you haven’t yet made your company gift to FRS, coming soon to your mailbox is a summer update with all the FRS activities in your NTCA region and a request for your annual gift. I hope you’ll be inspired to add your company’s name to the list of donors and help continue all the important work FRS does. My family is proud to be an annual donor to FRS and I continue to be so impressed with the work that they do every year.
For more information about any of the opportunities I mentioned above, please go to FRS.org. Thank you for all the ways you help support FRS.
P.S. Don’t forget to also sign up for the FRS fundraising events taking place during Fall Conference: a harbor cruise and a golf tournament.