The Dixie Chicks have a fabulous song entitled “Wide Open Spaces:”
A young girl’s dream’s no longer hollow,
It takes the shape of a place out West
So, I certainly found myself humming that song more than a few times last week when I had the opportunity to join the rural broadband providers from Utah, Wyoming and Idaho last week at their Tri-State meeting in beautiful Jackson, Wyo.
Touching base with our western members, who we have not been able to see in-person in nearly two years, was such a welcome treat and worth the long trip across the country.
The meeting itself kicked off in style. Following a wonderful mountain-view outdoor reception, the Governor of Wyoming, Mark Gordon, gave opening remarks that made it clear how much he prioritizes broadband deployment in his state. The governor gave a truly heartwarming nod to all of the community-based providers in the state like the folks at Range Communications for their terrific service to his own residence and family, a shout out to TCT for their economic development utilizing their broadband networks to work with international language education programs across the world, to Union Wireless for providing mobility solutions to folks in the state, to All West Communications for their continued fiber build, and to Silver Star for their reach into territories still unserved by national carriers.
It was gratifying to hear how much he appreciated what these carriers have done in the past and what they are doing today to serve folks who are still waiting for critical connectivity. He also shared his vision for how he will continue to put federal resources that have come down to the states to good use in Wyoming to keep the broadband momentum alive. I slipped into the hallway when Governor Gordon finished his remarks (making his security detail a tad nervous, I could tell) to thank him and to share how powerful his message was, and my hopes that he would continue to share that with his fellow western governors.
I was certainly delighted that he was in the room to watch the tribute to broadband that the Wyoming Telecommunications Association had put together. It’s a tad long but powerful, and if you like drone views of the stunning American West, you’ll enjoy all of it.
Two things that I took away from the video:
“What is the best thing about Wyoming? The wide open spaces (and hence the above noted song, there was a method to my madness). What is the biggest challenge in terms of bringing broadband to Wyoming? The wide open spaces.”
And then likely my favorite new line as we continue to push policymakers to be thinking of the power of fiber from a Silver Star customer, “Fiber optics today are what indoor plumbing was a hundred years ago.” #LifeChanging! #FiberDelivers
On a separate note, Don and I took an extra two days to check out those wide-open spaces and as always, I come away with a new appreciation for those who make it their mission to serve the parts of our country where the wildlife outnumbers the residents!
