Thirteen Rural Broadband Providers Earn National NTCA Smart Rural Community® Showcase Awards

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For Immediate Release

Contact: Kelly Wismer, 703-351-2015, [email protected]

Seattle, Wash. (September 17, 2018)—NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association, the premier national association representing nearly 850 independent, community-based telecommunications companies, today recognized 13 companies in rural areas of the United States that have earned Smart Rural Community® Showcase Awards as part of the association’s efforts to highlight projects that make rural communities vibrant places in which to live and do business. With the announcement of these 13 new award winners today, NTCA will have honored 69 rural broadband providers as Showcase Awardees since the program launched in 2013.

The goal of the NTCA Smart Rural Community® initiative is to foster the development of modern, productive communities throughout rural America and Canada by encouraging innovation in the application of new broadband resources and next-generation ideas for education, telehealth services, work flexibility, public safety and security. Smart Rural Community® provides educational programming, matching grant resources and an award program to recognize top-performing communities.

The following broadband providers received national recognition:

  • Bloomer Telephone Co. (Bloomer, Wis.)
  • Cochrane Cooperative Telephone (Cochrane, Wis.)
  • Consolidated Telcom (Dickinson, N.D.)
  • DTC Communications (Alexandria, Tenn.)
  • Farmers Telecommunications Cooperative (Rainsville, Ala.)
  • Golden West Telecommunications (Wall, S.D.)
  • Hanson Communications, Inc. (Wapakoneta, Ohio)
  • LivCom (Livingston, Texas)
  • NKTelco, Inc. (New Knoxville, Ohio)
  • Rye Telephone Company (Colorado City, Colo.)
  • South Park Telephone Co. (Hartsel, Colo.)
  • Twin Lakes (Gainesboro, Tenn.)
  • Wilkes | Riverstreet | TriCounty Broadband (Belhaven, N.C.)

NTCA Smart Rural Community® award recipients were recognized at a gathering of more than 1,200 rural telecom leaders in Seattle. In addition to receiving national and local recognition for their extraordinary efforts, the award recipients will join recipients of prior year awards to formulate best practices and assist other rural communities in the implementation of innovative broadband-enabled solutions to drive economic and community strength in rural areas throughout the nation.

For more information about the initiative, visit www.ntca.org/smart.

2018 NTCA Smart Rural Community Showcase Awardees

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NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association is the premier association representing nearly 850 independent, community-based telecommunications companies that are leading innovation in rural and small-town America. NTCA advocates on behalf of its members in the legislative and regulatory arenas, and it provides training and development; publications and industry events; and an array of employee benefit programs. In an era of transformative technological advancements, regulatory challenges and marketplace competition, NTCA members are leading the technological evolution for rural consumers, delivering robust and high-quality services over future-proof networks that make rural communities vibrant places in which to live and do business. Because of their efforts, rural America is fertile ground for innovation in economic development, e-commerce, health care, agriculture and education, and it contributes billions of dollars to the U.S. economy each year.