Implementing BEAD & Digital Equity Programs in Tennessee, With Paige Shapiro and Carrie Huckeby

In this crossover episode with “Lead Tennessee Radio,” Paige Shapiro, Tennessee’s federal program officer for the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) and Digital Equity programs, discusses how these programs aim to ensure all people and communities have the skills, technology and capacity needed to reap the full benefits of the digital economy.

What is Rural Broadband Today?

Rural Broadband Today is a new podcast focused on one of the most important issues facing Rural America. It tells the stories of those working to bring broadband internet access within reach of every citizen. This interview-style show presents conversations with elected officials, industry experts and business leaders at the forefront of America’s efforts to solve the rural broadband challenge.

Intro:
Rural Broadband Today is a production of Pioneer Utility
Resources.

Broadband, we need it for work and for school, for our health
and our economy.

What's being done to bring broadband Internet access within
reach of every American?

Let's talk about it now on Rural Broadband Today.

Andy Johns:
Hello, and thank you for listening in to this episode of Rural
Broadband Today.

I'm your host, Andy Johns, with Pioneer.

And on this episode, we're going to Tennessee.

As you can probably tell from the country twang in the opening
music there, we're going to Nashville, which is home to the

Tennessee Broadband Association and to Paige Shapiro, who I'll
talk about in just a moment.

On this episode, it's a crossover episode that we are recording
with Lead Tennessee Radio, which is a podcast produced by the

Tennessee Broadband Association.

Lead Tennessee Radio is available on all of the popular podcast
platforms.

Some good episodes on there, talking to the people making things
happen in the great state of Tennessee.

It's hosted by either Levoy Knowles or Carrie Huckeby.

Carrie Huckeby is the executive director of the Tennessee
Broadband Association.

And on this episode, she interviews Paige Shapiro, who is
Tennessee's federal program officer for the Broadband Equity

Access and Deployment – so BEAD – and the Digital Equity
program.

So they will be discussing how those programs aim to ensure all
people and communities have the skills, technology and capacity

needed to reap the full benefits of the digital economy.

Now, Lead Tennessee Radio is produced in partnership with
Pioneer.

We do that, take the production part of it from the Tennessee
Broadband Association and put that into everyone's feeds.

So we've got a crossover episode for you.

I think after after listening through it, I think it's very
valuable to the Rural Broadband Today audience.

I hope you enjoy. Again Lead Tennessee Radio by the Tennessee
Broadband Association is available on all of the popular podcast

platforms and the voices you hear will be Carrie Huckeby,
executive director of the Tennessee Broadband Association, and

Paige Shapiro. Thanks.

Carrie Huckeby:
Welcome, Page.

Paige Shapiro:
Thank you. I'm so excited to be here.

Carrie Huckeby:
Well, before we jump in and talk about BEAD, start off by telling
us a little bit about your background and how you found yourself

in this position with NTIA, the U.S.

Department of Commerce.

Paige Shapiro:
I'd love to. So I am a true Tennessean.

I was born and raised in East Tennessee.

I graduated from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville.

Go Vols, and my first job out of college was in Nashville.

So I've always been here trying to serve those in our state.

I actually my first job out of college was working with Governor
Haslam and his administration in a two year fellowship

program. I studied business in college, and I had a bit of a
mid-life crisis and decided that I would go

see how I could help make government a better place and make
Tennessee a better place to live,

work and raise a family.

Through that fellowship program, I got placed in the Department
of Education and really found a passion there.

I worked in early literacy for several years, where I
specialized in early literacy program design, implementation and

adoption. I just happened to be looking for a new challenge when
I heard about this role, and I felt like my skill sets

and my knowledge and just the great relationships I had already
across Tennessee would be really valuable in helping connect

all of our citizens to high speed, reliable, affordable
Internet.

And I just think this is such a great goal, so I interviewed
with NTIA.

I am very lucky that they thought I would be a good fit, and
here I am today.

Carrie Huckeby:
Well, we're glad to have you.

You bring an extensive background in Nashville and, of course,
born and raised here in our great state of Tennessee.

So that's a great thing, an advantage all on its own.

I think you're a little young for a midlife crisis, though,
right?

Paige Shapiro:
Maybe a little. I looked at changing my business degree, and it
was just going to cost way too much time and

money. So I was like, okay, I will get my business degree and
then go work for a business-minded governor and see where that

takes me.

Carrie Huckeby:
Well, as things are ramping up for BEAD, you know, I know there's
a lot of details that are still being worked through and federal

program officers are being assigned.

Tell us what the responsibilities are of a federal program
officer.

Paige Shapiro:
Yes. So this is what I think is a really exciting job.

First and foremost, I'm here and all of the federal program
officers are here to partner with state broadband

offices to be a resource and a means of communication to relay
important information to and from NTIA.

So that's really the most glaring thing on my job description.

But we are also here to be a spokesperson and an advocate for
our NTIA programs and more importantly, the

stakeholder communities that surround them.

So we absolutely know that building relationships with
stakeholders is the only way we can successfully deploy this

program. So it is a huge responsibility of mine and partnership
with the Department of Economic and Community

Development to listen and ensure that what our citizens say is
correctly reflected

in our state's final plans and proposals.

And then there's some grant administration things: helping
ensure plans are ready, being a trusted

expert, especially by your members, and then knowing about how
other Internet related programs

coincide with ours as well.

Carrie Huckeby:
And I don't remember before if an NTIA employee actually worked
in the state of Tennessee.

Is this the first time there's been an official role in
Tennessee for NTIA?

Paige Shapiro:
Yes. We laugh.

We compare ourselves to a startup quite a bit because before the
BEAD program and the Digital Equity

Programs came to be, NTIA was a very small team.

And so now they are hiring, I think, they've tripled or
quadrupled the size of the NTIA team.

So first time that NTIA has had a Tennessean in Tennessee
working with their programs.

Carrie Huckeby:
Which makes those conversations you're having with everyone and
that educational piece of what you do and all that, just that

much more important.

Paige Shapiro:
Absolutely.

Carrie Huckeby:
And I said that there's an FPO assigned to each state, but that
was an assumption on my part.

Is there any state or any reason a state would not get an FPO?

Paige Shapiro:
Yeah. So generally speaking, most states will or have already
been assigned their own FPO.

We're in the final stretch of hiring.

That said, depending on some states size and their proximity,
they may be covered one FPO for two

states. But I'm lucky that I get to focus on serving us right
here in Tennessee.

Carrie Huckeby:
Well, we appreciate that, having your full attention.

Paige Shapiro:
Yes, absolutely.

Carrie Huckeby:
Well, you recently attended and participated on a panel at
KTA/TNBA Fall Conference in Bowling Green.

And we really appreciated you coming and doing that.

And I know you've been meeting with some of our other member
companies and having those visits.

So how are those conversations helping you prepare for what's
coming with the BEAD program, or what are you taking away from

those visits?

Paige Shapiro:
Thank you for having me at the conference.

It was such a fun time and very informative for me as well.

And there are so many takeaways that I've had from the visits
that I've had so far, and I'm looking forward to the ones that

I'm currently in the process of scheduling.

But probably my largest takeaway so far is that Tennessee has
been doing such incredible work to

connect our communities to high speed, reliable and affordable
Internet for years.

And the collaboration among industry partners is just so very
strong.

And that's particularly exciting for both me and Tennessee,
because I just so clearly

see that we are a state that is poised to be successful and
deploying these programs and connecting everyone

because there is just such a desire, a deep seated desire and
willingness to do so.

So that's probably my, you know, my three biggest takeaways.

My fourth would probably be I learned that splicing fiber is an
incredibly technical skill,

and we should all be very thankful that that is not my part of
this program, because I would

not be good at it.

Carrie Huckeby:
Oh, I bet you would.

Paige Shapiro:
I was just so impressed.

Carrie Huckeby:
It is. It's a very technical job.

So, you know, those folks spend a lot of time in those fiber
trailers day in and day out.

And also down in, you know, the holes and doing that in all
kinds of situations.

So great respect, like you, for those people that do that.

Paige Shapiro:
Yes, I am.

I am in awe of what they do.

And the more that I learn, the more that I'm just so impressed
with the knowledge and commitment in this industry.

Carrie Huckeby:
And I'm happy, very happy to hear you say that, because as the
director of the association, I know our members work really

hard and, you know, strategically planning and all the things
that it takes to connect Tennessee.

And they've been doing it a long time and still want to continue
that effort until every Tennesseean is connecting.

And so I'm glad that comes across in those conversations that
you have with them.

Paige Shapiro:
Oh, absolutely.

Carrie Huckeby:
Well, the possibilities and the opportunity of receiving BEAD
funding, you know, of course, is exciting to our members, and

certainly for those residents and businesses that don't have
broadband access today or don't have a reliable connection

today, in Tennessee and the other 49 states.

With all this funding being made available down the road, what
challenges do you think NTIA will have in

administering the funds?

What's going to be their greatest challenge with that?

Paige Shapiro:
That's a great question.

I would say that probably the largest challenge that we have is
that this is just such a tall order.

Connecting everyone in America to quality Internet services has
obviously never been accomplished, and if it were easy, it would

have already been finished.

So, you know, I think that just the fact that the scope of this
project is going to be a little bit

difficult. I also think we're asking states and their partners
to dig deep, sometimes literally digging

deep to make this happen.

And we're just going to have to be nimble to address the
unforeseen challenges that we don't know are coming in a way that

we probably haven't been used to, especially as government,
while still ensuring that we're taking all of the right steps

along the way to do this, the right way to make it last.

So I think those are those are probably the biggest challenges.

Carrie Huckeby:
Well, like any big project, you don't know what you're going to
have a problem with until it starts, and you're in the middle of

it. So, you know, then it'll become finding a solution that
works for everyone and finding a quick solution, I guess.

Paige Shapiro:
Right.

Carrie Huckeby:
From the broadband provider's perspective, what challenges do you
think they will see applying for the funding, and how will

NTIA assist them with that application process?

How will they help in moving it along?

Paige Shapiro:
Yes, So I do want to point out just for your listeners that it is
really important to remember that Tennessee

has to develop a comprehensive local coordination approach that
will begin in the development of all the way from the

Five-Year Action Plan, which is that strategic plan that we
talked about at the conference that we'll do first and can

continue all the way through awarding and implementation.

And so our Internet service providers really need to be sure
that they're a part of that process to help limit the challenges

that they may face.

Because no one knows the challenges that are going to come up in
this process better than those that have been doing it, and

especially in your organization when they have been doing it for
such a long time.

So please be involved so we can help avoid as many as possible.

And then we also need you all at the table to advocate for
actions that will facilitate faster

broadband deployment, cheaper broadband deployment, and just
more easily accessible broadband to those that are unserved

and underserved. So just wanted to highlight that.

That didn't answer your question.

So I will answer your question in the way that one of the
largest concerns that we've heard so far is

just about workforce availability when the grants are awarded.

You may know, and if you haven't seen it yet, our technical
assistance team has already begun providing some great resources,

including a Workforce Planning Guide that are available for
that.

They're on the Internet For All web page.

And a really exciting thing about this particular challenge is
now is the time for our providers to assess their workforce needs

and work with us to make sure that the right training and
resources are available and in place to help mitigate this risk

later on. We are so excited that this is a huge job creation
opportunity for Tennessee and that we have time to plan.

So we know that that challenge is coming, and we're going to
work with all of you all to help mitigate that along the way.

Carrie Huckeby:
Well, that workforce conversation happens in every meeting and
every conference and almost every

face-to-face conversation right now because there is such a
shortage.

And also, you know, our challenge is getting out there to
educate the high schools or the technical

schools and talk about the jobs that are available in our
industry.

And I know I have one vendor that has been looking for AutoCAD
employees, and it's just difficult to find them.

So that's definitely a challenge.

So I'm glad that we will be able to work with your group and
your organization to try to solve that.

Paige Shapiro:
Well, and I think that what is so exciting about the BEAD and DE
program specifically, is we do have a

large opportunity to make these high quality and desirable jobs,
but it is just making sure that we go

and talk to members like you all and bring high school and
career and technical

education and our TCATs and just bringing everyone to the table
to really help highlight this future need.

Not that you all haven't been doing that, but now that we know
there's money coming, how can we help streamline all of those

incredible efforts that are going on already?

Carrie Huckeby:
Right. Right. Funding certainly helps push things through.

Paige Shapiro:
It does.

Carrie Huckeby:
Yeah. And get things going faster.

The TNBA member companies have had a good working relationship
with our state broadband director, Taylre Beaty, over at the

Tennessee ECD.

And you mentioned earlier about your role would be working with
that office.

So how do you see your job or your role and others in the same
job working with each state's broadband director?

How does that look?

Paige Shapiro:
We'll continue to be a resource and a means of communication with
Taylre and the Broadband Office.

From, again, that five year action plan, which is step one all
the way through implementation, we will

have traditional grants management roles when it comes to
working with Taylre and her team.

So that will just be making sure that the plans are prepped,
that all of the I's are dotted and the T's are crossed in

terms of getting those plans approved through NTIA.

And then we'll also be working with then, and again, I already
mentioned this, but just really making sure that that stakeholder

engagement piece is woven throughout the process.

So in the beginning it might be listening sessions, but as we
get through to post award, it might look like visiting

construction sites and talking with providers to find out what's
going well and what challenges there are.

And so it'll really just be that constant communication because
Taylre is going to hear things from stakeholders that

I won't and vice versa.

So it's really just making sure that there are two people
devoted to – two people and then everyone else – but two people

that are waking up every day and thinking about it, that this is
going smoothly for everyone from providers to

community members.

Carrie Huckeby:
Well, we will look forward to working with you and Taylre both.

It sounds like you'll be a very strong team working together on
this program.

So it's, you know, that's only advantage, another advantage for
here in our home state of Tennessee.

So look forward to that.

We're going to switch gears just a little bit.

We've been talking about the money, you know, the BEAD funding
and infrastructure.

But let's talk a little bit about that digital equity, because
that's a big part too.

Getting the Tennesseans, not only the access, but also educating
them to learn how to take advantage of it

and what the benefits of it are.

So what are some of the things that NTIA is evaluating to ensure
that Tennesseans can connect to broadband service

after it's built?

Paige Shapiro:
So just want to reiterate that the digital equity piece of this
program is so incredibly important.

We have a saying, and it stuck with me, so I want to share it
with everyone.

That "BEAD without Equity is just BAD."

Carrie Huckeby:
Oh, I like that.

Paige Shapiro:
Right. Easy. It's catchy to remember.

Carrie Huckeby:
Yes.

Paige Shapiro:
So even though NTIA has two separate programs for BEAD, and DE,
we really don't see them as separate.

We do have a guide.

It's the Five-Year Action Plan and Digital Equity Guide on our
again, Internet for All web page that can really help

our service providers understand the overlap of the two plans.

So if they are interested in learning more, I would point them
to that resource.

I believe one of the best things about NTIA and its approach to
the digital equity piece and BEAD for that

matter, is that the understanding and acknowledgment that states
have different issues and challenges.

And that they really want states to do what's best.

They do not have a one-size fits all approach.

You know, NTIA has asked all states to ensure that they actively
seek input and engagement from

eight covered populations.

And these covered populations are essentially groups and
communities that historically have been disproportionately

impacted by digital inequity.

So this includes groups like our veterans, our people with
disabilities, racial and ethnic minorities,

those that live in rural areas.

I just listed four.

You can go look at all of them in our Notice of Public Funding
if you're interested.

But NTIA wants us to go to these eight groups.

And then they're asking states to complete a framework that
essentially reflects the feedback, the

challenges and the solutions proposed from these people that
they're hearing from, from these covered

populations to ensure that when everything is said and done and
access is built out everywhere,

that people are connected.

A really short way to say what I just said is that Tennesseans
ultimately will be the key

stakeholders who will evaluate what we need to measure to ensure
digital inclusion.

And then we'll create the measures of success to know that we've
done a good job.

So NTIA is saying, Hey, here are these eight groups that you
need to make sure that you talk to.

It doesn't just have to be these eight groups, but it definitely
needs to include these eight groups.

And then from there, the information is flowing from everyone
that we talk to.

Carrie Huckeby:
I think that's definitely a positive that NTIA is going into it
where, as you said, one size does not fit all.

Right. And we talk about the landscapes of 50 states that you can
always find something beautiful in every state to

see. So the same thing can be said about every state has its
challenges,

it successes and what's working and what needs to be worked on.

So I think it's a really positive way to look at this program
and say, tell us what you need versus us telling you what we

think you need. Exactly.

Is there anything else, Paige, that we haven't talked about that
you would like to add as we wrap up?

Paige Shapiro:
Yeah, the only thing that I will add is that we've been told time
and time again that this truly is a once in a

lifetime opportunity.

And so I would just encourage everyone to get involved because
what we are doing matters, and it's

important for the health and wellbeing of Tennessee long term.

And so please, just if you want to find out how you can get more
involved, reach out.

I would be more than happy to help point you in the right
direction or be a resource for you.

We are definitely partners in this, and I'm really looking
forward to working with all of you.

Carrie Huckeby:
Is there an email or a website that you would like to direct
people to to get information from you?

Paige Shapiro:
Yes. My email is [e-mail].

Again, that's [e-mail].

If you are listening in your car, just email Carrie.

She'll send it to you.

Carrie Huckeby:
That's exactly right.

Paige Shapiro:
And if you are interested in any of the resources that I talked
about, you can just Google "Internet For All," and

it'll pop right up.

Carrie Huckeby:
Yes, that's a great website.

I went to it other day, and it's got a lot of good information
on there.

Paige Shapiro:
Great.

Carrie Huckeby:
Yeah. Well, thank you, Paige.

I appreciate you taking some time out of your schedule to talk
to me today.

Paige Shapiro:
Happy to do it.

And I would be happy to come back any time.

Carrie Huckeby:
My guest has been Paige Shapiro, Tennessee's federal program
officer with the US Department of Commerce, NTIA.

You've been listening to Lead Tennessee Radio, produced by
Tennessee Broadband Association.

Cooperative and independent companies connecting our state's
rural communities and beyond with world class broadband.

Outro:
Rural Broadband Today is brought to you by Pioneer Utility
Resources.

Rural Broadband Today is engineered by Lucas Smith of Lucky
Sound Studio.