This week had me pulling out my handy carry-on suitcase and getting out on the road to visit with our NTCA broadband providers in my home state of Wisconsin. Even though this has not been my first plane ride since the pandemic started, I am still finding myself a tad rusty and always wondering what I forgot to pack (this time it was my contacts case, but you’d be amazed at what you can do with little hotel cups).
Airline and airport traffic has certainly started inching up now that so many of us have been vaccinated and while it’s a tad jarring, it’s a welcome relief to see the light at the end of the tunnel. But jumping in that rental car and having Chicago and REO blaring from the radio- as per usual when I am back in the Midwest- and driving through some backroads to Lake Geneva did bring back a sense of normalcy.
It was a treat to join WSTA Executive Director Bill Esbeck and the 250 folks who journeyed to the meeting. Wisconsin is a state of leaders within the industry- on the NTCA board, the SMC board, the Foundation for Rural Service board, Trustees, active committee members and the like. Bill Esbeck is also one of our finest partners on the statewide front and I never hesitate to call him to work with me on new projects. Our newest addition is Judd Genda, attorney with Axley, who now serves as the Counsel to the NTCA Board.
A lot of the discussion centered around next steps on RDOF, with many disappointed bidders in the state waiting to see how the FCC handles its review of long form applications. Infrastructure activity in our nation’s Capital and supply chain management also topped the list of hallway discussions. But the most pressing topic was the release of $100 million from the state as part of the American Rescue Plan that will be devoted to broadband grants around the state. The window opens in days and closes at the end of July, so there are several Wisconsin rural broadband providers in the midst of critical conversations with their local governments on how they might partner together to build broadband out to the unserved. I’m encouraged and delighted at the robust partnerships that I continue to see pop up across the country and Wisconsin is leading the way in a number of these as well.
Another topic that was top of mind was the future of video services. With the never-ending rise of retransmission consent agreement fees, offering over the top video streaming over robust broadband has become a more attractive alternative for many carriers and it was interesting to see the statistics, but it’s also a never-ending whirl of mergers and acquisitions in the content space these days.
While it was jarring to walk into a reception and see… people…. and faces… it was amazing how quickly you could revert to 2019 and a life before Covid. And I am delighted and excited to get to see NTCA members at our Fall Conference in Nashville in September.
