Contact: Lauren Gaydos, 703-351-2015
Arlington, Va., (May 19, 2021)—NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association today announced two new member programs: Smart Tribal Community℠ and Smart Connected Community℠. Both programs are part of the Smart Rural Community℠ (SRC) network.
“At NTCA, we are tremendously proud of the work our Smart Rural Community℠ providers are doing to enable the fast, reliable and sustainable connectivity needed to thrive in an online world,” said NTCA Chief Executive Officer Shirley Bloomfield. “Our SRC providers are serving unique communities across the country, and we wanted to recognize the diverse, growing SRC network with new opportunities for NTCA members that serve tribal lands and areas with metropolitan characteristics. We are proud to establish the Smart Tribal Community℠ and Smart Connected Community℠ programs to create new opportunities to share the amazing stories of the work our members are doing.”
The Smart Tribal Community℠ program will be open to any SRC provider who offers broadband service to Tribal lands. Ya-Ta-Hey, New Mexico, served by NTCA member Sacred Wind Communications is the first community to be recognized as a Smart Tribal Community℠.
“We at Sacred Wind Communications are proud to be on the ground floor of NTCA’s Smart Tribal Community℠ initiative, highlighting the exceptional dedication of those broadband providers who work closely with our Native American communities to build infrastructures in challenging geographic areas and to deliver services in a manner that reinforces tribal cultures,” said Sacred Wind Communications CEO John Badal.
The Smart Connected Community℠ program will be open to SRC providers who serve incumbent or competitive service territories that demonstrate metropolitan characteristics. GRM Networks, along with their subsidiary Mi-Fiber, LLC, serving the Des Moines, Iowa, metropolitan area, and Home Telecom, serving the Charleston, S.C., region, are the first NTCA members to be recognized as Smart Connected Community℠ providers.
“One of our subsidiaries provides Fiber-To-The Premise in suburban areas,” said GRM CEO Ron Hinds. “We were looking for a way to assist these communities in attracting residents and businesses with their new high-speed networks. NTCA delivered! Smart Connected Community: The name says it all.”
“Home Telecom is proud to be a founding member of NTCA’s newest brand, Smart Connected Community℠. It is critical for the future success of all member companies that collectively a nationally recognized consumer brand is promoted. A brand that represents our common culture of quality and locally provided services as well as unites NTCA members as a national choice for state-of-the-art broadband service. At Home Telecom, we are excited to begin using the Smart Connected Community℠ brand that effectively represents all of the markets we serve,” said Home Telecom Senior Vice President and NTCA Board Vice Chairman H. Keith Oliver.
For more information about the program, visit Smart Rural Community.
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NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association is the premier association representing nearly 850 independent, community-based telecommunications companies that are leading innovative change in smart rural communities across America. In an era of transformative technological developments, regulatory challenges and marketplace competition, NTCA members are advancing efforts to close the digital divide by delivering robust and high-quality services over future-proof networks. Their commitment to building sustainable networks makes rural communities 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. Visit us at www.ntca.org.