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The NTCA Smart Rural Community Initiative

The NTCA Smart Rural Community Initiative. Jessica Golden Strategic Outreach Manager NTCA—The Rural Broadband Association Mountain Connect Rural Broadband Summit 2014. Trade association, represents 900 small, rural communications providers.

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The NTCA Smart Rural Community Initiative

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  1. The NTCA Smart Rural Community Initiative Jessica Golden Strategic Outreach Manager NTCA—The Rural Broadband Association Mountain Connect Rural Broadband Summit 2014

  2. Trade association, represents 900 small, rural communications providers. • Provide reliable broadband, voice and data communications services in hardest-to-serve corners of the country. • Serve 5% of the nation’s subscribers across 40% of the nation’s land mass. • Besides telephone service, also provide video, wireless services, home security, computer repair, data storage. • Members work with community anchor institutions, partners.

  3. The Rural Challenge…(s)

  4. …or Rural.

  5. Misconceptions about Rural Ignorant Honey Boo Boo Lazy Backward Redneck Poor Hillbilly

  6. “Most Americans could care less if farming and ranching disappear, so long as they get their burgers and fries.” - The End of the American Farm

  7. Historic LOW of Rural Members of Congress

  8. Why does this matter?

  9. 1. Policy Makers in DC and Denver make decisions that affect ALL of us.

  10. 2. If Rural residents don’t fight for rural, who will?

  11. En Sum: Challenges to Rural Broadband Advocacy, Providers and Consumers • “Your fault for living there” mentality (Politics) • Disconnect between urban and rural relevance for consumers (Cultural Disconnect) • Regulatory Uncertainty (Regulation)

  12. Rural Relevance

  13. “Why don’t you just move to a big city?” We have to fight for rural relevance: • 40% of our nation’s military comes from rural America • Natural resources: fuel, water • Food • Manufacturing • Urban areas rely on exurban and rural areas for environmental quality, recreation and tourism. Urban-Rural Interdependence

  14. Economic Impact: Urban-Rural Connection

  15. Smart Rural Communities Summit • April 2012: NTCA convenes 50+ leaders from government and “vertical industries” of education, agriculture, health care, public safety • Releases white paper exploring Smart Rural Community concept

  16. = ?

  17. What is a Smart Rural Community? A Smart Rural Community invokes broadband-enabled intelligent networks to support innovative applications for • Education • Health care • Utilities • Public safety • Agriculture • Economic development

  18. A Smart Rural Community – more than the broadband connection A Smart Rural Community embraces teams of collaborative leaders standing behind and promoting the technology. From manufacturers and application developers to telecommunications providers and, ultimately, the users who adopt and employ broadband-enabled services, the Smart Rural Community is a team effort of continuing development and evolution.

  19. The Message • The vitality of any community is dependent on access to quality health care, education, public safety, and economic opportunities. • Rural communities in particular face unique access challenges. • Broadband reduces challenges by providing rural communities with quality, cost-effective opportunities access to new technologies, gain new skills and reach new markets.

  20. Post-Summit • Hosted small SRC gatherings including: • Roundtable Discussions • Broadband 101 • Intro to SRC at USDA • SRC Event at Fall Conf. w/ NTCA members • Greater inclusion of NTCA member stories • What was next? Pilot?

  21. Building Smart Rural Communities 2 Major Realizations: • We can’t do this alone. • We already have some incredible members working on very “smart” initiatives

  22. Problem 1:“We can’t do this alone”Solution 1: Advisory Committee

  23. SRC Advisory Committee NTCA Associate Member Advisory Council (Chair)NTCA Innovation & Business Opportunity Committee (Chairs)American Farm Bureau Federation American Telemedicine Association (ATA)CalixCHR Solutions Dickey Rural Networks Discovery Education John Deere MapCom SystemsNational Information Solutions CooperativeNational Rural Economic Developers AssociationNational Rural Electric Cooperative AssociationNational Rural Telecommunications CooperativeRural School and Community TrustTCAVeterans Health Administration's Office of Rural Health

  24. Problem 2: We already have members doing smart, incredible things.Solution 2: Break SRC into 2 Phases

  25. SRC Showcase – Phase I

  26. SRC Showcase:Recognizing Smart Rural Communities • Smart Rural Communities have been built • Providing a vehicle to inform, educate and inspire • Expert peer review

  27. Showcasing the Best and Brightest June-July 2013 First Round of Applications Accepted September 2013 Announcements of winners at NTCA Fall Conference June 2, 2014 Application for 2nd round of SRC applications opened. July 11, 2014 Deadline to Apply

  28. 2013 Results: • Nearly two-dozen applicants • Highlighted industries: education; health care; national security • Review and scoring by Advisory Committee

  29. And the award goes to…

  30. Showcase and Paradigm Awards Selected 7 winners from Kansas, Minnesota, Florida and North Dakota. All other first-time applicants were designated as “trailblazers” But…How were winners selected?

  31. Major scoring criteria/Telling the Smart Story • Use of broadband in meeting needs of major industries, including commercial, government, and not-for-profit • Recruitment, retention, and expansion of commercial, government, and not-for profit industries • Economic and societal impacts • Efforts for the future • Collaboration with local leaders

  32. West Central Telephone, Sebeka, Minn. • https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=445293318921593&set=vb.339326832851576&type=2&theater

  33. SRC Pilot – Phase II

  34. “We’ve only just begun . . .” • The goal is to build • Showcasing and mentoring • The network of ideas: Alumni • Pilots

  35. What the SRC Winners Have Done Since…

  36. Road Signs

  37. Events with Policy Makers

  38. Summits

  39. Other Events NTCA Has Hosted • 2013 Regional Meetings, 2014 Annual Meeting, IP Possibilities • Broadband Agriculture Summit 2014 • Broadband Adoption Summit 2014 • Educational Broadband for K-12 and Beyond (w/ Sen. Begich (Alaska)

  40. Rural Relevance • Sec. Vilsack’s Speech • Call to Action • Quote from “The End of the American Farm”: • “Americans could care less if farming and ranching disappear, so long as they get their burger and fries.”

  41. Rural Relevance Rural is Cool Campaign (#ruraliscool)

  42. Food For Thought • How can we involve you more? • How do we increase rural telco communication with third parties? • Are these stories of collaboration with third parties familiar to you? • What would you like to see happen with this program?

  43. Contact Information Jessica Golden NTCA—The Rural Broadband Association 703-351-2015 jgolden@ntca.org

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