When that is the opening salvo for a foundation’s website, you know that their interest in rural broadband deployment is sincere and comes from the heart. And so it is for the Blandin Foundation located in Minnesota and focused on having Minnesotans imagining, leading and growing healthy, inclusive – vibrant communities. That is why it was an easy call for me to participate recently in their Fall Conference and share my thoughts on Bringing Broadband to Rural America – Opportunities and Challenges Post-Pandemic last week. And a special treat to be introduced by NTCA Board member Kevin Beyer, CEO of ACIRA, who was also the recipient of the foundation’s Courageous Leadership Award last year for bringing fiber technology to rural Minnesota and talking about the value of being able to telecommute from rural areas….a year before we really needed that capability as a country. Pretty visionary, Kevin!
I was able to share with community leaders who NTCA members are…the nearly 850 rural broadband, communications entities who are community based and leading the way in bringing access and technology to 45 states across the country.
The world has changed drastically over the past 7 months and the need for robust communications (and daily recognition of that need) has evolved as well. The challenges of this prolonged pandemic have caused all of us to think again about what we value most – connections with family and friends, a reliable job, health and safety, and technologies that make it all possible. Broadband runs through the core of many of these values.
Sharing the impact that Universal Service Fund programs administered by the FCC have had along with the power of the USDA lending programs and ReConnect support (and I have loved every announcement coming out this week!) along with CARES funding in the states have all helped NTCA members continue their fast and furious work to bring access to those still waiting…and in the upper Midwest hurrying to do it even as the first snowfalls of the season are recorded.
And also sharing some of the important lessons we have learned on how technology can be used has also been enlightening. I am particularly bullish on the broadband applications for telemedicine and had a fascinating discussions with Alan Morgan, CEO of the National Rural Health Association during a Critical Connections webcast recently on how important rural critical care centers are for those they serve – especially as Covid implications are now impacting rural Americans as well. But given the older, lower income disparities for rural Americans along with health inequalities. Access to care and speciality care are so important. Did you know that rural Americans are 50 percent more likely to be involved in vehicle crash-related fatalities? And experience 22 percent more injury fatalities in general? And that rural youth are twice as likely to commit suicide? These statistics are frightening but using technology for mental health and emergency support can truly mean the difference between life and death.
These are just a few of the reasons that I think it is so important to continue to dialogue with community groups who want to get behind broadband deployment. We need to aim higher and do better and work together to drive more investments and partnering with community foundations, like Blandin, are an excellent way to get some of these key discussions started.