1 00:00:00,210 --> 00:00:04,470 Intro: The following program is brought to you by the Tennessee Broadband Association. 2 00:00:05,040 --> 00:00:10,560 Lead Tennessee Radio, conversations with the leaders moving our state forward. 3 00:00:10,770 --> 00:00:18,270 We look at the issues shaping Tennessee's future: rural development, public policy, broadband, 4 00:00:18,270 --> 00:00:22,800 health care and other topics impacting our communities. 5 00:00:23,550 --> 00:00:28,450 Carrie Huckeby: Hello, I'm Carrie Huckeby, the executive director of the Tennessee Broadband Association. 6 00:00:28,470 --> 00:00:35,880 Taylre Beaty, our state broadband director with Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development, is my guest on 7 00:00:35,880 --> 00:00:38,570 this episode of Lead Tennessee Radio. 8 00:00:38,570 --> 00:00:46,410 In September, you probably heard or maybe you saw that the department announced it would invest almost $447 9 00:00:46,410 --> 00:00:50,160 million in grants to expand broadband across the state of Tennessee. 10 00:00:51,270 --> 00:00:58,770 Some 213 million of that was awarded to the Tennessee Broadband Association's member companies so that they could 11 00:00:58,770 --> 00:01:02,640 reach several unserved and underserved counties. 12 00:01:02,910 --> 00:01:10,590 It is exciting news indeed for many Tennesseans that have been here waiting for broadband or better 13 00:01:10,590 --> 00:01:18,300 broadband. And these funds come from the American Recovery Plan, the Tennessee Emergency Broadband Fund and the 14 00:01:18,300 --> 00:01:25,920 112th General Assembly approved Governor Lee's $500 million budget for broadband infrastructure and 15 00:01:25,920 --> 00:01:33,780 adoption. And we talk a lot on this podcast, and mainly in all of our conversations about building the 16 00:01:33,780 --> 00:01:38,640 network and the capital investment it takes to build it and maintain it. 17 00:01:38,790 --> 00:01:42,900 But on this episode, we're switching gears just a little bit. 18 00:01:42,990 --> 00:01:50,430 Taylre is here to talk about another important piece of that broadband funding, and that's digital literacy and 19 00:01:50,430 --> 00:01:52,920 adoption. So welcome, Taylre. 20 00:01:52,920 --> 00:01:55,800 I know you're a busy lady, and I really appreciate your time. 21 00:01:57,050 --> 00:01:58,830 Taylre Beaty: Thanks Carrie. Glad to be here. 22 00:01:58,850 --> 00:01:59,750 Thanks for having me. 23 00:02:00,260 --> 00:02:04,970 Carrie Huckeby: Well, you recently passed your one year mark as the state broadband director. 24 00:02:04,970 --> 00:02:10,580 And before this, you worked for USDA in the RUS program. 25 00:02:10,580 --> 00:02:15,170 And you also have government affairs and legislative experience in D.C. 26 00:02:15,170 --> 00:02:16,310 on your resume. 27 00:02:16,610 --> 00:02:24,410 Tell us what you learned in those past experiences or anything else that helped you do what you do every day. 28 00:02:25,130 --> 00:02:26,660 Taylre Beaty: Yeah, great question. 29 00:02:26,870 --> 00:02:34,340 I think, you know, I'll first say it's great to be home and back in Tennessee and get the chance 30 00:02:34,340 --> 00:02:40,170 to serve the communities that built me and my family. 31 00:02:40,170 --> 00:02:47,060 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. 32 00:02:48,180 --> 00:02:51,020 You know, I spent some time in D.C. 33 00:02:51,020 --> 00:02:54,020 and got some different experiences up there. 34 00:02:54,020 --> 00:03:01,400 And I think the big thing that I learned that is really helpful now, especially with just 35 00:03:01,550 --> 00:03:09,410 the amount of federal funding that's headed to states, and we're working to tease out how we're going to spend that 36 00:03:09,410 --> 00:03:17,230 money and how we want to be the best stewards of it, is just learning and understanding what that process looks like. 37 00:03:17,230 --> 00:03:24,500 What decisions go into large federal funding packages like the bipartisan 38 00:03:25,040 --> 00:03:32,120 infrastructure law, and how do we learn, as implementers of that funding, 39 00:03:32,890 --> 00:03:35,120 how to make sure it goes to the right place? 40 00:03:35,120 --> 00:03:42,350 And so I think that perspective of kind of the big picture executive side or the 41 00:03:42,350 --> 00:03:50,300 legislative side, what decisions are going into those conversations, how do you get that funding 42 00:03:50,300 --> 00:03:58,070 out into communities, or in my past kind of out into states, you know, that perspective has been really 43 00:03:58,070 --> 00:04:05,990 interesting, especially here on the ground, to help us have that perspective and understand how do we 44 00:04:06,770 --> 00:04:14,720 take what I know about where this funding, quite frankly, comes from, and then how do we get it out and deploy 45 00:04:14,720 --> 00:04:15,860 it into our communities? 46 00:04:15,890 --> 00:04:23,750 I think that has been something that really has been helpful for me, especially as we're gearing up for the 47 00:04:23,750 --> 00:04:29,180 large amounts of federal funding that we're going to be continuing to get in the next year or so. 48 00:04:30,200 --> 00:04:32,720 Just to understand that federal process and what that looks like. 49 00:04:33,260 --> 00:04:38,850 Carrie Huckeby: I can see where that past experience will be very helpful in what's coming down the path. 50 00:04:38,870 --> 00:04:46,250 So we're building networks to underserved and unserved areas is, of course, only part of the solution, as we said. 51 00:04:46,250 --> 00:04:54,140 And digital equity is a vital part of broadband expansion, and this does cover digital literacy and adoption. 52 00:04:54,860 --> 00:05:02,600 Tell us how having a broadband connection and knowing how to use it, how does that impact people in areas 53 00:05:02,600 --> 00:05:07,910 of education, safety, agriculture and economic opportunity? 54 00:05:07,940 --> 00:05:15,830 Taylre Beaty: I mean, that is really such a huge part of the puzzle. 55 00:05:16,100 --> 00:05:23,840 I know I've said this a while since I first kind of arrived on the block here in Tennessee about a year 56 00:05:23,840 --> 00:05:31,100 and some change ago and learned that we would have a significant amount of funding for broadband adoption. 57 00:05:31,460 --> 00:05:35,420 My background is infrastructure policy, specifically broadband infrastructure policy. 58 00:05:35,420 --> 00:05:43,400 And so I have been learning a lot about the digital literacy and opportunity side and what that 59 00:05:43,400 --> 00:05:51,320 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 60 00:05:51,320 --> 00:05:55,400 need to actually access that technology once the infrastructure is there. 61 00:05:55,820 --> 00:06:02,930 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 62 00:06:02,930 --> 00:06:10,790 the puzzle. And so how does that impact a household or a community when 63 00:06:10,790 --> 00:06:15,020 they have what they need to be able to access the technology? 64 00:06:15,020 --> 00:06:17,810 And I think it makes a huge impact. 65 00:06:18,260 --> 00:06:25,190 It's the difference between the infrastructure or the technology being there 66 00:06:25,730 --> 00:06:28,850 and that technology and infrastructure being used. 67 00:06:29,150 --> 00:06:36,680 It's something that, you know, we a lot of times, and I grew up in 68 00:06:36,920 --> 00:06:44,870 more of a suburban area, but I have lots of family in rural parts of the state that did not 69 00:06:44,870 --> 00:06:46,790 have access to Internet growing up. 70 00:06:46,790 --> 00:06:54,680 And I kind of took for granted the connectivity I had until I really got into this space and started thinking a lot 71 00:06:54,680 --> 00:06:59,120 about how family and friends back home didn't have access to Internet. 72 00:06:59,540 --> 00:07:07,370 And so understanding that the impact that adopting to that Internet is be 73 00:07:07,370 --> 00:07:14,270 it this is how we can pay our bills and check our email and do schoolwork online. 74 00:07:14,270 --> 00:07:21,380 Be it this is how I can do a telehealth or doctor's visit online safely and 75 00:07:21,380 --> 00:07:28,940 securely and not have to drive two or 3 hours away to access that kind of 76 00:07:29,420 --> 00:07:31,790 specialist or health care visit. 77 00:07:32,720 --> 00:07:34,730 But it's even more than that. 78 00:07:34,730 --> 00:07:42,260 I think it's understanding the value that this adds to somebody's life 79 00:07:42,260 --> 00:07:47,750 and really just that piece of the puzzle of the infrastructure's there. 80 00:07:49,190 --> 00:07:50,760 What are some of those barriers? 81 00:07:50,780 --> 00:07:51,980 Is it affordability? 82 00:07:51,980 --> 00:07:53,960 And a lot of times it is affordability. 83 00:07:53,960 --> 00:07:56,180 So how do we address those issues? 84 00:07:56,630 --> 00:08:02,660 Because we want our folks in our Tennessee communities to be able to access that. 85 00:08:02,660 --> 00:08:05,780 And so that touches all of those pieces that you talked about. 86 00:08:05,780 --> 00:08:09,050 It's the workforce development and digital skills training. 87 00:08:09,050 --> 00:08:16,700 How do we actually use the technology, how do we afford the technology, how do we adopt to the technology and 88 00:08:16,700 --> 00:08:18,140 use this long term? 89 00:08:18,140 --> 00:08:25,940 And I think on the infrastructure side, that certainly also impacts to providers subscribership and 90 00:08:25,940 --> 00:08:33,890 take rates and really helps again build that case for why providers should come to 91 00:08:33,890 --> 00:08:40,310 these rural and remote areas, because that interest is there, that demand is there. 92 00:08:40,520 --> 00:08:43,940 And so I think it's a complex conversation about broadband adoption. 93 00:08:44,420 --> 00:08:48,140 But really like I said, I think it makes the difference. 94 00:08:48,140 --> 00:08:54,530 It's the difference between the infrastructure just being there and actually being used and adopted to. 95 00:08:55,220 --> 00:08:59,300 Carrie Huckeby: Well, I think last week we celebrated National Rural Health Day. 96 00:08:59,300 --> 00:09:01,630 That was either last Thursday or Friday. 97 00:09:01,640 --> 00:09:09,560 And it brings just to our attention just a small piece of that adoption and infrastructure with 98 00:09:09,560 --> 00:09:16,310 telehealth. And, you know, the pandemic taught us a whole lot about education and how important it is to have that 99 00:09:16,310 --> 00:09:24,290 connectivity. But it also taught us that we can do those visits with that telehealth, with our doctor's office and, you know, 100 00:09:24,380 --> 00:09:31,640 save us those trips into the bigger cities, or if it's just a blood pressure check, or it's 101 00:09:32,390 --> 00:09:39,330 a diabetes check, or something like that, we can do it from the home, instead of making that trip into a doctor's office. 102 00:09:39,330 --> 00:09:44,450 Especially during flu season, no one wants to be in the doctor's office in flu season. 103 00:09:44,690 --> 00:09:52,610 So there's just so many pieces of that adoption and quality of life once the infrastructure 104 00:09:52,610 --> 00:09:54,590 is there and how to use it. 105 00:09:54,950 --> 00:10:02,330 Last year, the Pew Research reported that 72% of rural communities are connected, and that number, I think, was around 106 00:10:02,330 --> 00:10:07,370 77 to 79% in the more populated urban areas, as you mentioned. 107 00:10:07,460 --> 00:10:12,230 But that leaves about 20 to 30% of the state that aren't connected. 108 00:10:13,040 --> 00:10:20,330 And if I remember correctly, there's about $50 million allocated in our state plan for adoption 109 00:10:20,330 --> 00:10:27,950 programs. And then the BEAD Program is following that up with, I think they're setting aside $2.5 to 3 billion 110 00:10:27,950 --> 00:10:29,930 for similar efforts. 111 00:10:30,260 --> 00:10:36,530 The intent is for everyone to have broadband if they want to subscribe to broadband. 112 00:10:36,710 --> 00:10:43,910 But what are some of the reasons you and your team have found that consumers and businesses don't connect to broadband? 113 00:10:43,940 --> 00:10:46,730 Of course, you mentioned affordability, and that's that's a big piece. 114 00:10:47,330 --> 00:10:53,120 But how will these funds help overcome that, you think, and reduce that 20-30%? 115 00:10:53,120 --> 00:11:01,010 Taylre Beaty: I think, yeah, affordability is probably the largest challenge that we're 116 00:11:01,010 --> 00:11:08,540 hearing. Of course, we're in kind of the pre-planning process for the 117 00:11:08,540 --> 00:11:10,970 BEAD and Digital Equity funding. 118 00:11:10,970 --> 00:11:18,350 And so we're kind of having those introductory conversations about, hey, what are the things that are barriers to folks 119 00:11:18,350 --> 00:11:21,850 adopting to Internet really on a community level? 120 00:11:21,850 --> 00:11:29,840 Because that looks different from urban to rural or just folks from different 121 00:11:29,840 --> 00:11:31,400 backgrounds across the state. 122 00:11:31,400 --> 00:11:37,280 And what are those barriers, and how do we work towards solutions? 123 00:11:37,970 --> 00:11:41,570 Because we can't work towards solutions if we don't know what those barriers are. 124 00:11:42,140 --> 00:11:50,120 And so I think the other piece so, like I said, affordability being probably the biggest thing that we hear, I think 125 00:11:50,120 --> 00:11:57,490 even as you get into more rural areas in our state that you see a 126 00:11:57,670 --> 00:12:02,110 lot of questions around digital skills training and just understanding 127 00:12:05,770 --> 00:12:09,250 the value that the Internet can bring to a household. 128 00:12:10,060 --> 00:12:17,170 You know, for a lot of our communities especially, and I had this conversation actually with my grandparents 129 00:12:17,860 --> 00:12:25,780 not too long ago, that for a lot of our aging populations in the state, and again, like I said, I 130 00:12:25,780 --> 00:12:30,830 had this conversation with my grandparents, and they were like, "Well, you know, we've gone this long without the Internet. 131 00:12:30,850 --> 00:12:38,170 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. 132 00:12:38,170 --> 00:12:46,000 It's not necessarily about accessing social media or things like that, although that is something that they 133 00:12:46,000 --> 00:12:53,920 can do. It's also an opportunity, like you said, to be able to go to 134 00:12:53,920 --> 00:13:01,480 the doctor and not have to sit in the waiting room during flu season or, you know, just have access to the things that 135 00:13:01,480 --> 00:13:05,260 you may not have right there in front of you. 136 00:13:05,290 --> 00:13:13,240 And I think also on the agriculture side, I grew up in the 137 00:13:13,240 --> 00:13:20,350 4-H world, and precision agriculture I know, is really important and dependent on broadband. 138 00:13:20,350 --> 00:13:28,120 And so how we make sure that we're communicating at the state level and the community 139 00:13:28,120 --> 00:13:33,250 level, how important it is to make sure that that connection is there. 140 00:13:34,720 --> 00:13:42,580 And then also, I think it's a matter of actually leveraging those folks in the community to talk about 141 00:13:42,580 --> 00:13:50,200 and teach and demonstrate why it's important, because I think from place to place you have folks that don't understand 142 00:13:50,200 --> 00:13:55,450 exactly why it's important in 2022 as everything is moving to online. 143 00:13:55,960 --> 00:14:03,910 I mean, it's hard sometimes to pay your bills in-person these days or to do a 144 00:14:03,910 --> 00:14:04,920 job application. 145 00:14:05,080 --> 00:14:06,430 It's pretty much all online. 146 00:14:06,430 --> 00:14:13,900 And so I think as we're moving to that, understanding how we make sure that folks in our 147 00:14:13,900 --> 00:14:21,870 communities know the value of Internet and also have what they need to be able to 148 00:14:21,870 --> 00:14:24,480 get to that point where they can use it and adopt to it. 149 00:14:24,690 --> 00:14:28,290 Carrie Huckeby: You mentioned affordability, and as we said, it's a challenge for many. 150 00:14:28,740 --> 00:14:36,120 And the FCC put the affordable connectivity plan into effect back there in the pandemic to assist 151 00:14:36,150 --> 00:14:39,000 anyone that needed help paying for broadband. 152 00:14:39,000 --> 00:14:45,120 And I think it was a discount up to about $50 per month for those who qualified. 153 00:14:45,150 --> 00:14:52,620 There's also a $100 discount on the purchase of a new laptop device, a tablet, a desktop computer. 154 00:14:52,950 --> 00:15:00,510 But beyond the affordability challenge, and you mentioned this about learning how to use devices, some people may not be 155 00:15:00,510 --> 00:15:07,290 comfortable purchasing, or using a particular device like a tablet or even a smartphone. 156 00:15:07,320 --> 00:15:13,170 Do you think that being uncomfortable with the technology slows down broadband adoption? 157 00:15:13,200 --> 00:15:21,150 How big of a factor do you think that is, and is that age specific, or do you think it's across all 158 00:15:21,150 --> 00:15:22,020 age groups? 159 00:15:22,960 --> 00:15:26,800 Taylre Beaty: Yeah, I think that's a really good point. 160 00:15:27,490 --> 00:15:34,660 You know, I am really intrigued about that conversation of the actual device piece 161 00:15:35,830 --> 00:15:42,130 because things have changed so much in terms of technology. 162 00:15:42,130 --> 00:15:46,670 And I was talking to a teacher the other day. 163 00:15:46,670 --> 00:15:52,930 She's an elementary age teacher, and we were talking about like when we did typing classes in school. 164 00:15:52,930 --> 00:16:00,550 And, you know, I'm millennial, so I definitely went through the typing classes, but she was telling me, she was like, "You know, 165 00:16:00,550 --> 00:16:07,980 our school doesn't do that anymore because our kids use Chromebooks or iPads, and 166 00:16:07,980 --> 00:16:15,730 they like tap on it, like a touchscreen." And that was really interesting to me because we were talking 167 00:16:15,730 --> 00:16:23,650 about how, you know, how important like typing classes are because you can't do like a 168 00:16:24,970 --> 00:16:28,450 resume or something like that on your smartphone. 169 00:16:28,450 --> 00:16:29,620 Like, that's just hard. 170 00:16:29,620 --> 00:16:37,540 And so we were talking about how like there's an interesting correlation between the fact that 171 00:16:37,540 --> 00:16:42,790 a lot of our aging populations also struggle with that. 172 00:16:42,790 --> 00:16:48,990 But then also some of our younger populations are like typing, like we don't type like that anymore. 173 00:16:49,000 --> 00:16:51,700 And so like having those kinds of conversations. 174 00:16:51,700 --> 00:16:59,380 But I think the issue of having appropriate devices is definitely a 175 00:16:59,380 --> 00:17:07,330 challenge when it comes to how to adopt to an Internet subscription, 176 00:17:07,960 --> 00:17:15,280 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 177 00:17:15,580 --> 00:17:21,610 smartphone and a cellular connection that you've got all you need and that gets it done. 178 00:17:21,610 --> 00:17:29,170 But like I said, I mean, doing things like do applying for a job or submitting a homework 179 00:17:29,170 --> 00:17:32,230 assignment, those are hard things to do on a smartphone. 180 00:17:32,980 --> 00:17:35,740 So making sure that folks have what they need. 181 00:17:35,740 --> 00:17:43,630 I'm not saying that every household has to have a desktop computer and all the 182 00:17:43,630 --> 00:17:50,950 things, but I think, you know, leveraging what we're doing in communities to make 183 00:17:50,950 --> 00:17:54,760 sure that those gaps are filled. 184 00:17:55,240 --> 00:18:03,220 You mentioned ACP, there's definitely some opportunity there on devices, and then that $30 off 185 00:18:03,220 --> 00:18:10,300 subscription. I know a lot of our Tennessee providers, most of our Tennessee providers, are participating there. 186 00:18:10,300 --> 00:18:18,070 So if you're an eligible household, you can access some of those benefits, and 187 00:18:18,070 --> 00:18:20,530 that's a great tool. 188 00:18:20,530 --> 00:18:27,070 That's something that we have realized in the last couple of months as we've rolled from the Emergency Broadband Benefit to 189 00:18:27,070 --> 00:18:34,360 ACP, or as the FCC has rolled rather, that that's not being utilized as much as we would like to see. 190 00:18:34,360 --> 00:18:37,840 We know there are a lot of households in Tennessee that are eligible for that. 191 00:18:37,840 --> 00:18:45,100 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 192 00:18:45,610 --> 00:18:52,600 Internet subscription, but it also helps on making sure that we're connecting folks to, if there's a device piece that's 193 00:18:52,600 --> 00:19:00,310 missing. And then I also say that the state is looking for with our $50 million that you 194 00:19:00,310 --> 00:19:07,720 mentioned earlier, that we're going to have available for affordability and adoption programs. 195 00:19:07,990 --> 00:19:15,520 We want to see how we can fill in those gaps, both in, you know, digital skills training and understanding how to 196 00:19:15,520 --> 00:19:23,320 use that technology and that equipment, but also working with some nonprofits and folks in the 197 00:19:23,320 --> 00:19:31,060 community to, you know, find some of those approaches that aren't a one size fits all and making sure that 198 00:19:31,060 --> 00:19:36,640 they have what they need to help people get devices and affordable connections and things like that. 199 00:19:36,640 --> 00:19:40,990 So I think there's some exciting things to that vein that are in the pipeline. 200 00:19:41,500 --> 00:19:42,970 But you're right on. 201 00:19:42,970 --> 00:19:50,400 I think access to a device that gets done what you need to do on it, I think is 202 00:19:50,400 --> 00:19:56,080 also a big part of whether or not folks are going to adopt to the Internet. 203 00:19:56,080 --> 00:19:59,290 Carrie Huckeby: There's a big learning curve with the cloud. 204 00:19:59,290 --> 00:20:07,210 You know, everything's going to the cloud, how to use the cloud or, you know, are you storing everything on your laptop, or 205 00:20:07,210 --> 00:20:09,820 on your hard drive, or does it go to the cloud? 206 00:20:09,820 --> 00:20:11,560 And where do you find it after that? 207 00:20:11,560 --> 00:20:18,580 So there's a lot to what kind of device you want to buy and use every day. 208 00:20:19,900 --> 00:20:21,190 I spoke to Dr. 209 00:20:21,190 --> 00:20:24,970 Daniel Collins from The University of Tennessee a couple of months ago. 210 00:20:24,970 --> 00:20:28,480 And he's a 4-H lifer, and I think you are, too. 211 00:20:29,290 --> 00:20:37,240 And he talked about the 4-H Tech Changemakers and the grant that they received, where 4-H students in our counties 212 00:20:37,240 --> 00:20:40,830 will be teaching older residents how to use the Internet. 213 00:20:40,840 --> 00:20:46,870 I mean, some of these very things that we talked about with telehealth or checking your bank statement or paying your bills. 214 00:20:47,560 --> 00:20:52,120 They'll be training them to use the Internet and connected devices. 215 00:20:53,290 --> 00:20:59,380 Do you think it's programs like this one that will help increase broadband adoption across the state? 216 00:21:00,250 --> 00:21:01,780 Taylre Beaty: 1,000%. 217 00:21:02,560 --> 00:21:03,640 Carrie Huckeby: I thought you would agree. 218 00:21:03,640 --> 00:21:06,470 Taylre Beaty: I think that, and you're right on. 219 00:21:06,470 --> 00:21:09,510 I am definitely a 4-H lifer. 220 00:21:09,510 --> 00:21:17,200 I grew up and did all the things from canning to livestock to, you know, the 221 00:21:17,200 --> 00:21:18,220 technology stuff. 222 00:21:18,220 --> 00:21:21,520 It was great, and I loved every minute of it. 223 00:21:22,240 --> 00:21:26,200 But I think that is so important. 224 00:21:26,200 --> 00:21:27,670 I cannot stress that enough. 225 00:21:27,670 --> 00:21:35,440 I think what's interesting about this, and I mentioned this earlier, that we've got a 226 00:21:35,440 --> 00:21:43,240 lot of challenges in broadband and adoption, particularly, and affordability, in rural communities 227 00:21:43,240 --> 00:21:44,560 and in urban communities. 228 00:21:44,560 --> 00:21:47,470 Sometimes those challenges look really similar. 229 00:21:47,470 --> 00:21:49,980 The solutions, a lot of times are different. 230 00:21:49,980 --> 00:21:57,520 And there's things like, you know, in a rural community, you don't have – and some do, but 231 00:21:57,700 --> 00:22:01,690 most probably don't in Tennessee – but you don't have public transportation. 232 00:22:02,680 --> 00:22:10,510 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 233 00:22:10,510 --> 00:22:17,470 in an urban community or parts of an urban community where something is in walking distance or public transportation 234 00:22:18,790 --> 00:22:19,960 is available. 235 00:22:20,380 --> 00:22:27,700 And sometimes you just don't have the resources or the space available in one or the other. 236 00:22:27,700 --> 00:22:31,000 And so they're different solutions. 237 00:22:31,150 --> 00:22:37,840 And so I think primarily for your listeners that are mostly working in those rural areas, I think 238 00:22:37,840 --> 00:22:45,760 definitely leveraging 4-H, leveraging youth partnerships to have those 239 00:22:46,000 --> 00:22:53,530 kinds of conversations and trainings, it's going to take, especially in our rural areas, more of a 240 00:22:53,530 --> 00:22:56,770 grassroots approach, I think, to address this issue. 241 00:22:56,770 --> 00:23:04,510 We have 95 counties across the state, 95 different challenges with broadband and 95 242 00:23:04,510 --> 00:23:05,830 different solutions. 243 00:23:06,310 --> 00:23:12,880 Some things might work in some counties twice and that is great, or five times or maybe 93 times. 244 00:23:12,880 --> 00:23:17,980 But it's going to take sitting down in that community and finding out what works for the folks there. 245 00:23:18,370 --> 00:23:26,260 And I think that leveraging youth to be able to help bridge some of those gaps is going to be 246 00:23:26,260 --> 00:23:33,850 awesome. I have said that a lot recently that, you know, 247 00:23:34,060 --> 00:23:39,880 making sure that we're not reinventing the wheel. 248 00:23:39,880 --> 00:23:47,350 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 249 00:23:47,350 --> 00:23:55,210 community. So what better way than to pair them with some folks that need that help 250 00:23:55,210 --> 00:24:02,340 and honestly, that encouragement and would love to sit down with some of them and learn from them. 251 00:24:02,350 --> 00:24:03,910 And I think that's awesome. 252 00:24:03,910 --> 00:24:10,930 And I think you'll also find that those kids also learn from those folks that they're working with and teaching. 253 00:24:10,930 --> 00:24:16,210 And so I think that's just a really cool thing. 254 00:24:16,210 --> 00:24:23,290 And I think I'm wholeheartedly supportive of those kinds of solutions statewide. 255 00:24:23,290 --> 00:24:27,890 And just kind of teasing out, what is the best thing for our community? 256 00:24:27,890 --> 00:24:30,790 How do we do things that are going to be impactful? 257 00:24:30,790 --> 00:24:38,590 I know in some areas, it might be particularly thinking about like ACP and promotion of that, like back to school pushes or 258 00:24:38,590 --> 00:24:41,570 back to semester pushes. 259 00:24:41,570 --> 00:24:49,570 Finding ways that you can partner with the providers in the area to just make sure that folks have the information that they need 260 00:24:50,080 --> 00:24:57,490 to know what's out there, to know what the packages are for their Internet subscriptions, to know where 261 00:24:57,490 --> 00:25:05,440 broadband is in the community, to make sure they know how to access or get 262 00:25:05,440 --> 00:25:07,750 questions answered when they have those. 263 00:25:07,750 --> 00:25:08,860 Like how do they do that? 264 00:25:08,860 --> 00:25:10,270 Who do they reach out to? 265 00:25:10,660 --> 00:25:14,710 I've recently – I'll also mention one more thing on the 4-H and Extension side. 266 00:25:14,710 --> 00:25:22,360 I recently spoke at some of the digital literacy trainings that you UT Extension had actually last week. 267 00:25:22,620 --> 00:25:30,450 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 268 00:25:30,450 --> 00:25:37,710 working with the adult AG or the adult FCS or the youth in the school systems, 269 00:25:38,070 --> 00:25:45,690 when you undoubtedly get that person or that family that says, 'Hey, I need Internet, or I can't 270 00:25:45,690 --> 00:25:53,430 afford Internet,' or whatever the challenge is, you know where to go to, you know who to contact." And I think that there's 271 00:25:53,430 --> 00:26:00,930 a really good opportunity for us there to leverage that partnership and figure out ways that we can work 272 00:26:00,930 --> 00:26:03,120 together to solve this issue in our community. 273 00:26:03,450 --> 00:26:06,090 Carrie Huckeby: Definitely. And that is something I talked to Dr. 274 00:26:06,090 --> 00:26:13,980 Collins about, because when the Tennessee Broadband Marketing Committee visited the UT, we talked 275 00:26:13,980 --> 00:26:17,340 about digital literacy and adoption, and he told us about this program. 276 00:26:18,090 --> 00:26:25,710 We told him, please keep us involved because, as you know, many of the members serve all these counties 277 00:26:25,710 --> 00:26:26,880 in Tennessee. 278 00:26:26,880 --> 00:26:34,380 So that partnership would be very important, where we're helping the students know, we're helping 279 00:26:34,380 --> 00:26:40,890 everyone know, where we serve, where broadband is available, what packages are there, all of that. 280 00:26:40,890 --> 00:26:46,200 So I do think it takes collaboration and partnership to make all of this work. 281 00:26:46,200 --> 00:26:49,890 So very happy to hear you say that and touch on that. 282 00:26:49,890 --> 00:26:57,870 Is there anything else that you would like to add or you're looking for from anyone in the state to help with this? 283 00:26:58,260 --> 00:27:05,100 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 284 00:27:05,100 --> 00:27:12,750 thing right now is having those conversations at the community and the county level about where the problem 285 00:27:12,750 --> 00:27:15,750 areas are, what the pain points are. 286 00:27:15,750 --> 00:27:17,730 Is it a challenge of access? 287 00:27:17,730 --> 00:27:21,120 Is it a challenge of affordability or adoption? 288 00:27:21,120 --> 00:27:22,380 Is it both? 289 00:27:23,220 --> 00:27:30,570 Because I think there's so much value in just sitting down with community leaders 290 00:27:30,570 --> 00:27:33,990 and trying to make sure everyone's on the same page. 291 00:27:34,770 --> 00:27:42,690 I think as we are moving into deploying a lot of this federal funding in the next couple of 292 00:27:42,690 --> 00:27:50,610 years, we're going to be making sure on the state level, our job is to make sure that we finish this, 293 00:27:50,610 --> 00:27:57,930 that we make sure every Tennessee household and business has the opportunity to access broadband infrastructure. 294 00:27:58,680 --> 00:28:06,630 But that also means we have to make sure that every Tennessee household and business has the resources they need 295 00:28:06,630 --> 00:28:07,860 to adopt to it. 296 00:28:07,860 --> 00:28:15,810 And so with that, I think even starting just on the local level, be it talking to the county, 297 00:28:15,810 --> 00:28:22,890 to political subdivisions and localities and just sitting down and saying, "Hey, look, there are these big pockets that don't 298 00:28:22,890 --> 00:28:30,660 have access." Or "There are big pockets from the provider side of, you know, who 299 00:28:30,660 --> 00:28:38,550 is and isn't adopting, what partnerships or existing efforts can we partner on to 300 00:28:38,550 --> 00:28:46,470 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 301 00:28:46,470 --> 00:28:54,360 huge part of it. I know I've met with a couple of counties in recent months where they're 302 00:28:54,360 --> 00:29:01,860 pretty well built out, and so they're sitting here saying, "Hey, most of our folks have access to Internet, but we still get 303 00:29:01,860 --> 00:29:07,150 questions or concerns about Internet." And that's coming from that adoption side. 304 00:29:07,150 --> 00:29:15,120 That the infrastructure is there, but they're not sure how to be where they can be to actually adopt to 305 00:29:15,120 --> 00:29:22,940 it, be that affordability or just understanding what it looks like to subscribe 306 00:29:22,940 --> 00:29:30,480 to an Internet package or being able to get a device that makes sense for them to be able to use the Internet. 307 00:29:30,480 --> 00:29:32,760 There's a lot of those things. 308 00:29:32,760 --> 00:29:40,740 And so I think starting from having those conversations and just sitting down and saying, "Hey, where are 309 00:29:40,740 --> 00:29:48,570 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 310 00:29:48,570 --> 00:29:56,460 of doing some regional and community-based listening sessions in the coming next three months 311 00:29:56,460 --> 00:30:04,460 or so as we're planning through how we're going to use the BEAD and Digital Equity funding from the federal government. 312 00:30:04,460 --> 00:30:10,260 We'll have to be writing a five year action plan and a digital opportunity plan. 313 00:30:10,260 --> 00:30:13,590 And so that's something that we want to hear, that feedback. 314 00:30:13,590 --> 00:30:21,240 And so I think as soon as folks can start having those conversations and bubbling those pain 315 00:30:21,240 --> 00:30:28,750 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 316 00:30:28,780 --> 00:30:34,540 here in Tennessee. And it's going to take everyone listening to this podcast to make that happen. 317 00:30:35,170 --> 00:30:37,300 And so we're excited about it. 318 00:30:37,540 --> 00:30:44,890 But we are just really anxious to get started and would love to hear from our 319 00:30:44,890 --> 00:30:51,010 communities and our providers about what ways we can better partner moving forward. 320 00:30:51,700 --> 00:30:52,780 Carrie Huckeby: Sounds good. 321 00:30:52,780 --> 00:31:00,370 And we definitely look forward to working with you and your department and 322 00:31:00,370 --> 00:31:06,440 helping find what the challenges are and pinpointing those, for sure. 323 00:31:06,440 --> 00:31:14,110 And then finding solutions for them and being able to bring those down into each one of our serving areas in our counties. 324 00:31:14,110 --> 00:31:21,370 So we are definitely here to support you and to collaborate and partner to ensure that the adoption 325 00:31:21,370 --> 00:31:28,300 numbers get where we want them to be and where everyone has access to good, reliable broadband. 326 00:31:28,300 --> 00:31:32,680 So is there anything else you want to add before we close? 327 00:31:34,020 --> 00:31:39,930 Taylre Beaty: I don't think so. I just I think the big thing is we're really excited about this. 328 00:31:39,930 --> 00:31:47,700 I mean, we get the chance to do something that is going to transform our 329 00:31:47,700 --> 00:31:49,230 Tennessee communities. 330 00:31:49,230 --> 00:31:52,590 And we're so excited about that. 331 00:31:52,770 --> 00:31:55,680 We're so excited about this process and what it's going to look like. 332 00:31:56,220 --> 00:32:03,870 And I said this, but our goal is literally to finish the job, to make sure that every Tennessee 333 00:32:03,870 --> 00:32:11,130 household and business has access to broadband, but also has what they need to adopt to it. 334 00:32:11,130 --> 00:32:13,590 And so we're excited. 335 00:32:14,280 --> 00:32:21,240 We're looking forward to what's coming down the pipeline and how we can work together to finish the job. 336 00:32:21,720 --> 00:32:23,880 Carrie Huckeby: Great. It's a good goal to have. 337 00:32:24,120 --> 00:32:30,540 My guest has been Taylre Beaty, Tennessee State Broadband Director with the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community 338 00:32:30,540 --> 00:32:37,950 Development. And you've been listening to Lead Tennessee Radio, produced by Tennessee Broadband Association, cooperative and 339 00:32:37,950 --> 00:32:44,070 independent companies connecting our state's rural communities and beyond with world class broadband.