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Taylre Beaty, Tennessee's Broadband Director, discusses how the state can effectively use broadband grant funding to make the biggest impact in both infrastructure and adoption across the state.
Lead Tennessee Radio features conversations with the leaders who are moving Tennessee forward. Topics include rural development, broadband, technology, legislation, policy and more. The podcast is produced by the Tennessee Broadband Association.
Intro:
The following program is brought to you by the Tennessee
Broadband Association.
Lead Tennessee Radio, conversations with the leaders moving our
state forward.
We look at the issues shaping Tennessee's future: rural
development, public policy, broadband,
health care and other topics impacting our communities.
Carrie Huckeby:
Hello, I'm Carrie Huckeby, the executive director of the
Tennessee Broadband Association.
Taylre Beaty, our state broadband director with Tennessee
Department of Economic and Community Development, is my guest on
this episode of Lead Tennessee Radio.
In September, you probably heard or maybe you saw that the
department announced it would invest almost $447
million in grants to expand broadband across the state of
Tennessee.
Some 213 million of that was awarded to the Tennessee Broadband
Association's member companies so that they could
reach several unserved and underserved counties.
It is exciting news indeed for many Tennesseans that have been
here waiting for broadband or better
broadband. And these funds come from the American Recovery Plan,
the Tennessee Emergency Broadband Fund and the
112th General Assembly approved Governor Lee's $500 million
budget for broadband infrastructure and
adoption. And we talk a lot on this podcast, and mainly in all
of our conversations about building the
network and the capital investment it takes to build it and
maintain it.
But on this episode, we're switching gears just a little bit.
Taylre is here to talk about another important piece of that
broadband funding, and that's digital literacy and
adoption. So welcome, Taylre.
I know you're a busy lady, and I really appreciate your time.
Taylre Beaty:
Thanks Carrie. Glad to be here.
Thanks for having me.
Carrie Huckeby:
Well, you recently passed your one year mark as the state
broadband director.
And before this, you worked for USDA in the RUS program.
And you also have government affairs and legislative experience
in D.C.
on your resume.
Tell us what you learned in those past experiences or anything
else that helped you do what you do every day.
Taylre Beaty:
Yeah, great question.
I think, you know, I'll first say it's great to be home and back
in Tennessee and get the chance
to serve the communities that built me and my family.
And then across the state, of course, and just to be able to give
back and work on this important issue here in my home state.
You know, I spent some time in D.C.
and got some different experiences up there.
And I think the big thing that I learned that is really helpful
now, especially with just
the amount of federal funding that's headed to states, and we're
working to tease out how we're going to spend that
money and how we want to be the best stewards of it, is just
learning and understanding what that process looks like.
What decisions go into large federal funding packages like the
bipartisan
infrastructure law, and how do we learn, as implementers of that
funding,
how to make sure it goes to the right place?
And so I think that perspective of kind of the big picture
executive side or the
legislative side, what decisions are going into those
conversations, how do you get that funding
out into communities, or in my past kind of out into states, you
know, that perspective has been really
interesting, especially here on the ground, to help us have that
perspective and understand how do we
take what I know about where this funding, quite frankly, comes
from, and then how do we get it out and deploy
it into our communities?
I think that has been something that really has been helpful for
me, especially as we're gearing up for the
large amounts of federal funding that we're going to be
continuing to get in the next year or so.
Just to understand that federal process and what that looks
like.
Carrie Huckeby:
I can see where that past experience will be very helpful in
what's coming down the path.
So we're building networks to underserved and unserved areas is,
of course, only part of the solution, as we said.
And digital equity is a vital part of broadband expansion, and
this does cover digital literacy and adoption.
Tell us how having a broadband connection and knowing how to use
it, how does that impact people in areas
of education, safety, agriculture and economic opportunity?
Taylre Beaty:
I mean, that is really such a huge part of the puzzle.
I know I've said this a while since I first kind of arrived on
the block here in Tennessee about a year
and some change ago and learned that we would have a significant
amount of funding for broadband adoption.
My background is infrastructure policy, specifically broadband
infrastructure policy.
And so I have been learning a lot about the digital literacy and
opportunity side and what that
looks like. And it does hold a special place in my heart of just
understanding how do we make sure that folks have what they
need to actually access that technology once the infrastructure
is there.
So again, that's a great, great point, that the infrastructure
is a large piece of the puzzle, but it's not the only piece of
the puzzle. And so how does that impact a household or a
community when
they have what they need to be able to access the technology?
And I think it makes a huge impact.
It's the difference between the infrastructure or the technology
being there
and that technology and infrastructure being used.
It's something that, you know, we a lot of times, and I grew up
in
more of a suburban area, but I have lots of family in rural
parts of the state that did not
have access to Internet growing up.
And I kind of took for granted the connectivity I had until I
really got into this space and started thinking a lot
about how family and friends back home didn't have access to
Internet.
And so understanding that the impact that adopting to that
Internet is be
it this is how we can pay our bills and check our email and do
schoolwork online.
Be it this is how I can do a telehealth or doctor's visit online
safely and
securely and not have to drive two or 3 hours away to access
that kind of
specialist or health care visit.
But it's even more than that.
I think it's understanding the value that this adds to
somebody's life
and really just that piece of the puzzle of the infrastructure's
there.
What are some of those barriers?
Is it affordability?
And a lot of times it is affordability.
So how do we address those issues?
Because we want our folks in our Tennessee communities to be
able to access that.
And so that touches all of those pieces that you talked about.
It's the workforce development and digital skills training.
How do we actually use the technology, how do we afford the
technology, how do we adopt to the technology and
use this long term?
And I think on the infrastructure side, that certainly also
impacts to providers subscribership and
take rates and really helps again build that case for why
providers should come to
these rural and remote areas, because that interest is there,
that demand is there.
And so I think it's a complex conversation about broadband
adoption.
But really like I said, I think it makes the difference.
It's the difference between the infrastructure just being there
and actually being used and adopted to.
Carrie Huckeby:
Well, I think last week we celebrated National Rural Health Day.
That was either last Thursday or Friday.
And it brings just to our attention just a small piece of that
adoption and infrastructure with
telehealth. And, you know, the pandemic taught us a whole lot
about education and how important it is to have that
connectivity. But it also taught us that we can do those visits
with that telehealth, with our doctor's office and, you know,
save us those trips into the bigger cities, or if it's just a
blood pressure check, or it's
a diabetes check, or something like that, we can do it from the
home, instead of making that trip into a doctor's office.
Especially during flu season, no one wants to be in the doctor's
office in flu season.
So there's just so many pieces of that adoption and quality of
life once the infrastructure
is there and how to use it.
Last year, the Pew Research reported that 72% of rural
communities are connected, and that number, I think, was around
77 to 79% in the more populated urban areas, as you mentioned.
But that leaves about 20 to 30% of the state that aren't
connected.
And if I remember correctly, there's about $50 million allocated
in our state plan for adoption
programs. And then the BEAD Program is following that up with, I
think they're setting aside $2.5 to 3 billion
for similar efforts.
The intent is for everyone to have broadband if they want to
subscribe to broadband.
But what are some of the reasons you and your team have found
that consumers and businesses don't connect to broadband?
Of course, you mentioned affordability, and that's that's a big
piece.
But how will these funds help overcome that, you think, and
reduce that 20-30%?
Taylre Beaty:
I think, yeah, affordability is probably the largest challenge
that we're
hearing. Of course, we're in kind of the pre-planning process
for the
BEAD and Digital Equity funding.
And so we're kind of having those introductory conversations
about, hey, what are the things that are barriers to folks
adopting to Internet really on a community level?
Because that looks different from urban to rural or just folks
from different
backgrounds across the state.
And what are those barriers, and how do we work towards
solutions?
Because we can't work towards solutions if we don't know what
those barriers are.
And so I think the other piece so, like I said, affordability
being probably the biggest thing that we hear, I think
even as you get into more rural areas in our state that you see
a
lot of questions around digital skills training and just
understanding
the value that the Internet can bring to a household.
You know, for a lot of our communities especially, and I had
this conversation actually with my grandparents
not too long ago, that for a lot of our aging populations in the
state, and again, like I said, I
had this conversation with my grandparents, and they were like,
"Well, you know, we've gone this long without the Internet.
Why should we do this now?" And so I'm like, "Well, there's so
much more." You know, there's so much opportunity there.
It's not necessarily about accessing social media or things like
that, although that is something that they
can do. It's also an opportunity, like you said, to be able to
go to
the doctor and not have to sit in the waiting room during flu
season or, you know, just have access to the things that
you may not have right there in front of you.
And I think also on the agriculture side, I grew up in the
4-H world, and precision agriculture I know, is really important
and dependent on broadband.
And so how we make sure that we're communicating at the state
level and the community
level, how important it is to make sure that that connection is
there.
And then also, I think it's a matter of actually leveraging
those folks in the community to talk about
and teach and demonstrate why it's important, because I think
from place to place you have folks that don't understand
exactly why it's important in 2022 as everything is moving to
online.
I mean, it's hard sometimes to pay your bills in-person these
days or to do a
job application.
It's pretty much all online.
And so I think as we're moving to that, understanding how we
make sure that folks in our
communities know the value of Internet and also have what they
need to be able to
get to that point where they can use it and adopt to it.
Carrie Huckeby:
You mentioned affordability, and as we said, it's a challenge for
many.
And the FCC put the affordable connectivity plan into effect
back there in the pandemic to assist
anyone that needed help paying for broadband.
And I think it was a discount up to about $50 per month for
those who qualified.
There's also a $100 discount on the purchase of a new laptop
device, a tablet, a desktop computer.
But beyond the affordability challenge, and you mentioned this
about learning how to use devices, some people may not be
comfortable purchasing, or using a particular device like a
tablet or even a smartphone.
Do you think that being uncomfortable with the technology slows
down broadband adoption?
How big of a factor do you think that is, and is that age
specific, or do you think it's across all
age groups?
Taylre Beaty:
Yeah, I think that's a really good point.
You know, I am really intrigued about that conversation of the
actual device piece
because things have changed so much in terms of technology.
And I was talking to a teacher the other day.
She's an elementary age teacher, and we were talking about like
when we did typing classes in school.
And, you know, I'm millennial, so I definitely went through the
typing classes, but she was telling me, she was like, "You know,
our school doesn't do that anymore because our kids use
Chromebooks or iPads, and
they like tap on it, like a touchscreen." And that was really
interesting to me because we were talking
about how, you know, how important like typing classes are
because you can't do like a
resume or something like that on your smartphone.
Like, that's just hard.
And so we were talking about how like there's an interesting
correlation between the fact that
a lot of our aging populations also struggle with that.
But then also some of our younger populations are like typing,
like we don't type like that anymore.
And so like having those kinds of conversations.
But I think the issue of having appropriate devices is
definitely a
challenge when it comes to how to adopt to an Internet
subscription,
because I think there's a common misconception, and I think we
probably talked about this, Carrie, but like if you have a have a
smartphone and a cellular connection that you've got all you
need and that gets it done.
But like I said, I mean, doing things like do applying for a job
or submitting a homework
assignment, those are hard things to do on a smartphone.
So making sure that folks have what they need.
I'm not saying that every household has to have a desktop
computer and all the
things, but I think, you know, leveraging what we're doing in
communities to make
sure that those gaps are filled.
You mentioned ACP, there's definitely some opportunity there on
devices, and then that $30 off
subscription. I know a lot of our Tennessee providers, most of
our Tennessee providers, are participating there.
So if you're an eligible household, you can access some of those
benefits, and
that's a great tool.
That's something that we have realized in the last couple of
months as we've rolled from the Emergency Broadband Benefit to
ACP, or as the FCC has rolled rather, that that's not being
utilized as much as we would like to see.
We know there are a lot of households in Tennessee that are
eligible for that.
So we want to make sure we're pushing that out because not only
does that help fill in some of the gaps on the
Internet subscription, but it also helps on making sure that
we're connecting folks to, if there's a device piece that's
missing. And then I also say that the state is looking for with
our $50 million that you
mentioned earlier, that we're going to have available for
affordability and adoption programs.
We want to see how we can fill in those gaps, both in, you know,
digital skills training and understanding how to
use that technology and that equipment, but also working with
some nonprofits and folks in the
community to, you know, find some of those approaches that
aren't a one size fits all and making sure that
they have what they need to help people get devices and
affordable connections and things like that.
So I think there's some exciting things to that vein that are in
the pipeline.
But you're right on.
I think access to a device that gets done what you need to do on
it, I think is
also a big part of whether or not folks are going to adopt to
the Internet.
Carrie Huckeby:
There's a big learning curve with the cloud.
You know, everything's going to the cloud, how to use the cloud
or, you know, are you storing everything on your laptop, or
on your hard drive, or does it go to the cloud?
And where do you find it after that?
So there's a lot to what kind of device you want to buy and use
every day.
I spoke to Dr.
Daniel Collins from The University of Tennessee a couple of
months ago.
And he's a 4-H lifer, and I think you are, too.
And he talked about the 4-H Tech Changemakers and the grant that
they received, where 4-H students in our counties
will be teaching older residents how to use the Internet.
I mean, some of these very things that we talked about with
telehealth or checking your bank statement or paying your bills.
They'll be training them to use the Internet and connected
devices.
Do you think it's programs like this one that will help increase
broadband adoption across the state?
Taylre Beaty:
1,000%.
Carrie Huckeby:
I thought you would agree.
Taylre Beaty:
I think that, and you're right on.
I am definitely a 4-H lifer.
I grew up and did all the things from canning to livestock to,
you know, the
technology stuff.
It was great, and I loved every minute of it.
But I think that is so important.
I cannot stress that enough.
I think what's interesting about this, and I mentioned this
earlier, that we've got a
lot of challenges in broadband and adoption, particularly, and
affordability, in rural communities
and in urban communities.
Sometimes those challenges look really similar.
The solutions, a lot of times are different.
And there's things like, you know, in a rural community, you
don't have – and some do, but
most probably don't in Tennessee – but you don't have public
transportation.
You don't have a good way of getting everybody in one room to do
things like digital literacy training the way that you might
in an urban community or parts of an urban community where
something is in walking distance or public transportation
is available.
And sometimes you just don't have the resources or the space
available in one or the other.
And so they're different solutions.
And so I think primarily for your listeners that are mostly
working in those rural areas, I think
definitely leveraging 4-H, leveraging youth partnerships to have
those
kinds of conversations and trainings, it's going to take,
especially in our rural areas, more of a
grassroots approach, I think, to address this issue.
We have 95 counties across the state, 95 different challenges
with broadband and 95
different solutions.
Some things might work in some counties twice and that is great,
or five times or maybe 93 times.
But it's going to take sitting down in that community and
finding out what works for the folks there.
And I think that leveraging youth to be able to help bridge some
of those gaps is going to be
awesome. I have said that a lot recently that, you know,
making sure that we're not reinventing the wheel.
You know, you have a lot of high school and middle school kids
in the 4-H programs that are like, we want to serve in our
community. So what better way than to pair them with some folks
that need that help
and honestly, that encouragement and would love to sit down with
some of them and learn from them.
And I think that's awesome.
And I think you'll also find that those kids also learn from
those folks that they're working with and teaching.
And so I think that's just a really cool thing.
And I think I'm wholeheartedly supportive of those kinds of
solutions statewide.
And just kind of teasing out, what is the best thing for our
community?
How do we do things that are going to be impactful?
I know in some areas, it might be particularly thinking about
like ACP and promotion of that, like back to school pushes or
back to semester pushes.
Finding ways that you can partner with the providers in the area
to just make sure that folks have the information that they need
to know what's out there, to know what the packages are for
their Internet subscriptions, to know where
broadband is in the community, to make sure they know how to
access or get
questions answered when they have those.
Like how do they do that?
Who do they reach out to?
I've recently – I'll also mention one more thing on the 4-H and
Extension side.
I recently spoke at some of the digital literacy trainings that
you UT Extension had actually last week.
And was able to talk to some of the Extension staff just about,
"Hey, how can we be better partners so that if you're
working with the adult AG or the adult FCS or the youth in the
school systems,
when you undoubtedly get that person or that family that says,
'Hey, I need Internet, or I can't
afford Internet,' or whatever the challenge is, you know where
to go to, you know who to contact." And I think that there's
a really good opportunity for us there to leverage that
partnership and figure out ways that we can work
together to solve this issue in our community.
Carrie Huckeby:
Definitely. And that is something I talked to Dr.
Collins about, because when the Tennessee Broadband Marketing
Committee visited the UT, we talked
about digital literacy and adoption, and he told us about this
program.
We told him, please keep us involved because, as you know, many
of the members serve all these counties
in Tennessee.
So that partnership would be very important, where we're helping
the students know, we're helping
everyone know, where we serve, where broadband is available,
what packages are there, all of that.
So I do think it takes collaboration and partnership to make all
of this work.
So very happy to hear you say that and touch on that.
Is there anything else that you would like to add or you're
looking for from anyone in the state to help with this?
Taylre Beaty:
Yeah, I think the biggest thing right now, and I know your
members are really good about doing this, but I think the biggest
thing right now is having those conversations at the community
and the county level about where the problem
areas are, what the pain points are.
Is it a challenge of access?
Is it a challenge of affordability or adoption?
Is it both?
Because I think there's so much value in just sitting down with
community leaders
and trying to make sure everyone's on the same page.
I think as we are moving into deploying a lot of this federal
funding in the next couple of
years, we're going to be making sure on the state level, our job
is to make sure that we finish this,
that we make sure every Tennessee household and business has the
opportunity to access broadband infrastructure.
But that also means we have to make sure that every Tennessee
household and business has the resources they need
to adopt to it.
And so with that, I think even starting just on the local level,
be it talking to the county,
to political subdivisions and localities and just sitting down
and saying, "Hey, look, there are these big pockets that don't
have access." Or "There are big pockets from the provider side
of, you know, who
is and isn't adopting, what partnerships or existing efforts can
we partner on to
make sure that we're getting these folks in our community what
they need to be able to access it?" And I think that's just a
huge part of it. I know I've met with a couple of counties in
recent months where they're
pretty well built out, and so they're sitting here saying, "Hey,
most of our folks have access to Internet, but we still get
questions or concerns about Internet." And that's coming from
that adoption side.
That the infrastructure is there, but they're not sure how to be
where they can be to actually adopt to
it, be that affordability or just understanding what it looks
like to subscribe
to an Internet package or being able to get a device that makes
sense for them to be able to use the Internet.
There's a lot of those things.
And so I think starting from having those conversations and just
sitting down and saying, "Hey, where are
the pain points, and how can we sit down and figure out ways to
partner there?" We're also going to be in the process
of doing some regional and community-based listening sessions in
the coming next three months
or so as we're planning through how we're going to use the BEAD
and Digital Equity funding from the federal government.
We'll have to be writing a five year action plan and a digital
opportunity plan.
And so that's something that we want to hear, that feedback.
And so I think as soon as folks can start having those
conversations and bubbling those pain
points up to us so we can make sure that's captured, we really
want to make sure that we're using this money to solve the issue
here in Tennessee. And it's going to take everyone listening to
this podcast to make that happen.
And so we're excited about it.
But we are just really anxious to get started and would love to
hear from our
communities and our providers about what ways we can better
partner moving forward.
Carrie Huckeby:
Sounds good.
And we definitely look forward to working with you and your
department and
helping find what the challenges are and pinpointing those, for
sure.
And then finding solutions for them and being able to bring those
down into each one of our serving areas in our counties.
So we are definitely here to support you and to collaborate and
partner to ensure that the adoption
numbers get where we want them to be and where everyone has
access to good, reliable broadband.
So is there anything else you want to add before we close?
Taylre Beaty:
I don't think so. I just I think the big thing is we're really
excited about this.
I mean, we get the chance to do something that is going to
transform our
Tennessee communities.
And we're so excited about that.
We're so excited about this process and what it's going to look
like.
And I said this, but our goal is literally to finish the job, to
make sure that every Tennessee
household and business has access to broadband, but also has
what they need to adopt to it.
And so we're excited.
We're looking forward to what's coming down the pipeline and how
we can work together to finish the job.
Carrie Huckeby:
Great. It's a good goal to have.
My guest has been Taylre Beaty, Tennessee State Broadband
Director with the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community
Development. And 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.