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Intro:
The following program is brought to you by the Tennessee
Broadband Association.

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Lead Tennessee Radio, conversations with the leaders moving our
state forward.

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We look at the issues shaping Tennessee's future: rural
development, public policy, broadband,

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health care and other topics impacting our communities.

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Carrie Huckeby:
What is a Smart Rural Community?

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And the more important question is, are you living in one?

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That's what my guest is here to talk about on this episode of
Lead Tennessee Radio.

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I'm your host, Carrie Huckeby, executive director for the
Tennessee Broadband Association.

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And my guest is Laura Withers, Vice President of Strategic
Communications for NCTA–The Rural

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Broadband Association, and she is here to talk all things Smart
Rural Community.

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So, Laura, we go way back.

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It's always a pleasure to visit with you, to talk rural
broadband, marketing, NTCA initiatives.

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Thank you for joining me.

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Laura Withers:
Oh, thank you for having me, Carrie.

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We do go way back, and I just don't go as far as you do.

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And I will celebrate that as long as I can.

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Carrie Huckeby:
As you should, Laura.

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Thanks for that reminder.

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So for those that aren't familiar with the NTCA Smart Rural
Community program, tell us how long it's been around, how long

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it's been an NTCA initiative and what was the purpose behind it?

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Laura Withers:
Well, this program has been going on ten years now, and it has
really grown significantly over those ten

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years. We are now up to 250 of our member providers that are
involved.

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And the focus is really three things.

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First, to help our members learn from each other by elevating
the best practices that they have in supporting their communities

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and creating new innovations with the technology that they
provide.

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Second, to really champion the optimism and opportunity of rural
America by sharing their stories with others outside

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of our industry, including and especially, folks who have
influence over public policy, not only

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here in D.C., but now more in the state capitals and even at the
local level.

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And then third, to really demonstrate to those policymakers
through those stories the ROI on rural

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broadband investment and showing that it's more than just
putting fiber in the ground, but also creating opportunities

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for students who rely on it for education, for patients and
families who have better outcomes from telehealth and

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health care. And of course, all the business and economic
development impacts that broadband has in our members' markets.

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So we are super excited to continue investing in this program.

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And it's just remarkable how much we've accomplished over the
last ten years and how many of our members now are a

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part of it.

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Carrie Huckeby:
Yes, it is a great program, and it's fantastic that 250 companies
are designated as Smart

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Rural Communities.

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How do they earn the distinction of being a SRC?

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Laura Withers:
Well, it has been kind of a different road for a lot of them,
because this program started out as an

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award. It started out as a way for NTCA to award our members and
their communities for going

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above and beyond with what we called Showcase Awards.

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So ten years ago, we gave out, you know, a dozen or so showcase
awards each year.

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And some of the program participants ended up receiving those
awards.

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And then through the years, we have given them more value in
terms of branding and marketing resources, storytelling

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resources. We've upped our game as far as sharing their stories
in the media, and they all benefit from that.

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But I would say the majority of the providers that have joined
the program have joined through a branding platform that we

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created about five years ago.

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Actually, it might be more like six years ago at this point, 
that included some requirements.

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They had to provide at the time 25 meg to 50% of their
subscribers.

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We've now increased that requirement to 100 meg.

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And then at the same time, we also ask that they confirm that
50% of their subscribers are adopting those

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speeds because we really want to stand for a service that we
consider

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above and beyond what even the FCC designates as broadband.

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So that is, I think, how the majority of the providers that are
currently in the program have joined through that branding

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platform. And we have actually seen, you know, significant
growth just even in the last year.

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I think we entered 2021 with maybe 100 providers.

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And through some of the ways that we invested in this program
have contributed significantly more

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NTCA providers to the program.

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Carrie Huckeby:
Great. Well, I'm happy to say that I live in a designated Smart
Rural Community because my provider Ben Lomand Connect qualified

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for the award.

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And matter of fact, ten of our association member companies have
been recognized as Smart Rural Community recipients.

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And so that does say great things, I think, about the work they
are doing.

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But because you and I work in the industry day in and day out,
but for my neighbor that's in other lines of

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work, what does it mean to them to live in a Smart Rural
Community, and why should it create a sense of pride?

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Laura Withers:
Well, it really depends on the person.

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And that's the beauty of this, is every person who benefits from
broadband probably has a different story.

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And we really try to tell all of those stories, although we
focus on the ones, of course, that pull at the

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heartstrings and also show the biggest impact on a community.

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But I would say the folks that live in Smart Rural Communities
or Smart Connected Communities, which by the way, is another

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designation we created for communities that aren't truly rural,
but maybe suburban or just outside a rural area.

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I think that they should take pride in the fact that they have
these technologies that other parts of the country don't have,

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and maybe it's helping them as a mom make sure that their kids
can get online and do school work

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from home if they need to, while at the same time supporting
telework.

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Maybe it is a patient of a doctor who is able to provide
telemedicine.

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I mean, during the pandemic, one of the stories that really
touched me was from Bemidji, Minnesota.

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There was a hospital chain there that had to take COVID
precautions like every health care provider in the

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country. And they were able to, through the broadband service
provided by their local provider, do more

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telemedicine for prenatal care for pregnant women who didn't
want to come into the hospital and potentially make themselves

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sick. So I'm not sure exactly if that's happening in Tennessee,
Carrie, but I would venture to guess that those stories exist.

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And for each person that lives in that community, they have had
some kind of experience with their broadband service and with

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their local community-based broadband provider that has improved
their life in some way.

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So I hope that, you know, they are making that connection, and
it's really on us to make sure they are making that

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connection and understanding that it's brought to them by these
local companies that have such a strong commitment to what

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they do.

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Carrie Huckeby:
Yes, I think that's such a good point that we all have this
reliable, you know, some of us are very fortunate, like

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myself, to have this reliable gig connection out here on my
century farm in a rural community,

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which gives me the ability to work from home and do Lead
Tennessee Radio with that connection.

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But it does mean different things to different people.

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There are over 250 companies, you said, all members of NTCA that
have earned this SRC award.

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So you kind of touched on it, but what do you think this
reflects or represents about what is happening in broadband in

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our rural communities or maybe the less urban communities across
the country?

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Laura Withers:
Oh, goodness. Well, first, I think the pandemic really taught us
some things.

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I think it showed us that broadband is not a luxury at all.

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It's absolutely a necessity.

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And even years ago, you and I know, we used to talk about fiber
a lot, and people would say, "Well, that's gold plating." Or

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"That's, you know, that's expensive." But then when you saw
those families that had multiple people on multiple devices all

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at the same time, and they were doing really important things:
staying in touch with family, getting health care, getting work

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done, educating their children, trying to provide some sense of
normalcy to their kids.

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It wasn't gold plating anymore.

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All of a sudden, it was the gold standard.

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So I think that's one thing is, we've been able to see how those
fiber networks and those networks that provide

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bandwidth and, you know, low latency and higher levels of
service for multiple applications at the same

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time was really important.

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And so our members fared well in that regard because they had
built out those networks well before the pandemic

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hit. So that was one thing, I think is that, you know, even in
rural America, we're seeing those bandwidth needs like we're

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seeing here in the city.

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I think another thing that has happened is the story has shifted
in some regard

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to focus even more on the parts of the country that do not have
great service.

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So while our story predominantly was very positive during the
pandemic in terms of our members, communities were very well

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served.

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It also underscored the parts of the country that are not so well
served and created an opportunity for our members to step

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up and say, "Well, we can help them out too." So I think here we
are in 2023, I think rural broadband is now

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not just about our members great track record, but also about
how they can help the rest of the country

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find better services.

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And gosh, there's a whole bunch of funding also available to
help them out with that.

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So that is what we're going to be really focusing on this year,
is helping our members make the most of this moment

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that we're in right now as a country.

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Carrie Huckeby:
Yeah, totally agree.

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I think the pandemic really accelerated and brought to the
forefront those that do not have broadband

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connection and how difficult it was for them to function with
classes and

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work and all of that, and even work from home.

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That possibility wasn't there without a reliable connection.

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There's another piece of the program, and you mentioned it the
Smart Rural Community Showcase Award, and I believe four of our

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members here in Tennessee have received that recognition: BTC
Fiber, BLC, DTC, and

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NCTC. How do these members earn those extra showcase awards on
top of being a Smart Rural Community?

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Laura Withers:
Well, a couple of years ago when we kind of changed the program
to be more of a branding platform, we encouraged folks to join

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the brand platform to celebrate the designation as becoming a
Smart Rural Community or a Smart Connected Community.

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And then go above and beyond that to apply for this competitive
award, which comes with its own application

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process, and also is decided by a panel of folks in our
industry.

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Several of them serve on our Smart Rural Community Advisory
Council, and they tell me every year that it gets harder

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every year to select award recipients.

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Because we as an industry, I think have gotten a lot better at
telling our stories in a way that shows the real impact of

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what we do.

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And so I think the award program has grown and even gotten more
competitive over the years.

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So basically it's an application that we give out to the
companies that are already in the program.

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And it has four questions.

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We've made it a very simple application, but those questions are
pretty hard because they ask for the

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applicant to talk about the real ROI, and the impact of what
they're doing.

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And it's funny, Carrie, I was just out in Wisconsin this week
talking to the Wisconsin State Telecom Association marketing

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folks, and they were saying it is so hard.

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And I said, "Well, it's just four questions." But the hard part
is, I think, our members are just so humble naturally, that for

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them to even think about stating, you know, what has been the
real impact of your service on your community,

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you know, kind of makes them stop and think.

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So that's part of the exercise, is trying to uncover these new
little golden nuggets of stories as

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part of the application.

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Then it goes to that panel of judges, and they make a selection
over the summer, and then we announce the winners at our fall

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conference in September and really make a show of it:
celebrating them on stage, sharing their stories on stage.

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And yeah, you mentioned Kentucky, or excuse me, you mentioned
Tennessee.

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I almost said Kentucky.

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Sorry. I know some of your Tennessee providers are close to
Kentucky.

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Carrie Huckeby:
And serve both. Yes, they do.

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Laura Withers:
And serve both, yes, which we learned recently.

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And I will just say, like Ben Lomand, they received an award,
and they created a

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partnership with the local electric utility to serve more
customers.

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Bledsoe, BTC, they worked with an equipment manufacturer and
serving the

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automotive and mechanical engineering industries with their
service.

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And NCTC received an award for helping a community following a 
tornado in

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2008. And, you know, getting their local hospital back up and
running.

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And then finally, DTC was recently awarded for working with a
local agriculture center that

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also serves as a community event center and supports the local
agriculture and cattle

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ranchers. So that's just a flavor of some of these, you know,
incredible impact stories that we get through this

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award.

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Carrie Huckeby:
And I think it's great that you have this award, this
recognition, because I know many of our members go to work every

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day, and they do what they do.

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And their mission is to serve their communities.

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And they probably don't take a whole lot of time to stop and
think what the end package is, what that standard of

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living is.

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And as you mentioned earlier, how everyone is using their
broadband differently.

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So I think that award just puts a nice little bow on, you know,
what sends you to work every day.

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So it is a new year.

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You mentioned, it's 2023, hard to believe.

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Tell us what some of the goals are for the Smart Rural Community
program this year.

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If a member is out there kind of riding the fence and hasn't,
you know, talked about or thought about applying for

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SRC, what would you say to them to push them to get that done?

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Laura Withers:
Well, I would say, why are you not in the program?

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What is holding you back?

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Is it that you're humble, and you don't know how to tell your
story?

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Because we can help you with that.

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Is it that you're not sure if you can achieve the benchmarks of
100 meg to 50% of your service territory?

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Well, most of our members now can, thanks to their fiber builds.

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And so it really depends on what might be holding somebody back.

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But as far as 2023 goals, they are the same thing.

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You know, I told you at the top here: elevating the best
practices of our members, helping them learn from each other, and

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then championing watch what they do through their stories and
demonstrating that to policymakers as the true ROI

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on broadband investment.

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And gosh, with so much money coming out for deployment, I think
it's going to be really important to continue to tell the stories

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of how that deployment funding needs to be maintained over the
future years to sustain these

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services in the future.

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You know, I think one thing that people might be interested in
knowing about this year is that we're sort of stepping up

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our storytelling efforts.

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And I think we did a really good job in 2021 and 2022, bringing
more providers into the program and

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helping them celebrate being a Smart Rural Community.

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In 2023, we're going to take that to the next level and encourage
our members to share their impact stories

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around a couple of content themes throughout the year.

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So in February and March here, we're going to be talking about
agriculture and encouraging our members to participate in

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National Ag Day on March 22nd.

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In April and May, we're going to be talking about small business
and economic development, and we will be looking at maybe

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participating in Small Business Week.

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I think it's in early May, if I'm right.

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June and July over the summer, we're going to be talking about
advocacy and especially smart states.

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Carrie, you and I have been working on some branding and
outreach efforts in Tennessee with your state broadband office

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and others.

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And we'd like to share that and talk about how other states can
do that.

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In August and September, we're going to be talking about back to
school and education.

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And then October and November, health care leading into National
Rural Health Day on November 16th.

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And then finally in December we'll do a year in review, like we
did last year and share the success stories of our members with

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everybody else so they can learn from them as well.

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So that is a lot of stuff that we're going to try to do this
year.

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And it's actually like quite daunting when I look at it.

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But the idea is giving our members some resources and then a big
kick in the behind to go use those

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resources and talk about how they support all those themes in
their own communities.

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Carrie Huckeby:
It sounds like you're going to be very busy this year.

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Laura Withers:
For sure, and I will be asking for your help with the advocacy
stuff, no doubt.

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Carrie Huckeby:
Great. And you also have SRC Live, which is a conference, I
believe it's in June, where you invite

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the SRCs to participate, and you sort of reveal or unveil all of
this

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storytelling potential, right?

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Laura Withers:
Yes. Yeah.

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We had our first one last year in Vegas.

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It was very successful.

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We really tried to make it unlike any other NTCA conference.

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We did it, you know, in a very discussion focused format where
we had hallway conversations.

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We had breakout discussions.

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We have presentations followed by discussion because we really
wanted it to be a summit where everybody kind of heard from each

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other and shared ideas, rather than just hearing from a speaker,
and then walking out the door.

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So we're doing it again.

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It's going to be June 26 through 28 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

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And again, we'll be doing a lot of discussion for people in the
program and also people that are not in the program and want to

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learn more about it.

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So you do not have to be in the program to attend.

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And then another cool thing that we did in Vegas was we
encouraged our members to bring a member of their community who

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might be influential in the telco's success in the future and
sort of did a bring a buddy

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program where you could bring somebody from your community, and
we would cover the registration as long as you could get them to

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Vegas. We had a few members take advantage of that and bring
either like their local mayor or even like a hospital

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administrator who was really interested in learning more about
broadband.

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And we're going to do that again.

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So if anybody listening is thinking about coming, also think
about somebody in your community that might benefit from hearing

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from others who have benefitted from broadband, because our
speakers are not just going

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to be talking about broadband, but also the impacts of it on
agriculture and education, etc.

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So it was probably my favorite thing I did last year because we
heard

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so many great stories.

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I think I took like five pages of notes and followed up with
several of the stories I heard so that we could share

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those in other ways digitally, etcetera, after the conference.

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So yeah, I encourage everybody to take a look that one.

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Carrie Huckeby:
Well, I look forward to attending this year.

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I heard it was a great conference last year, and I think it's
fantastic that they can bring some of their community leaders

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because it just helps with that sense of pride and that ROI in
your rural community.

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So I think that's an outstanding idea.

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I'm glad you guys did that.

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So if I'm an NCTA member company out there listening to us
talking about SRC, how do they

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get more information about the program?

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Laura Withers:
Well, we are also redoing our website, so that would be my first
suggestion is to go to Smart Rural

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Community.org, or you can also go to NTCA.org/smart.

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And there are links on there about how to join the program, why
to join the program and then also some of the branding resources

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that we provide.

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So if you want to take a sneak peek at those before you
officially join, you can do that.

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We have not posted all of the themed content that I just
mentioned.

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We're getting ready to post that very, very soon.

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But it's pretty simple, Carrie.

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There's an online application process.

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If you're an NTCA member already, which I hope all of your
members are, you go in to our online

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application.

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You have to log in using the account that you use to pay your
NTCA dues, and then basically check a box.

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And the administrative fee gets applied to your NTCA dues
invoice.

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So that part of it is pretty simple, straightforward.

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And then once you get enrolled, and we do, you know, send you
some information by email

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to say welcome.

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That's when you get access to the marketing, branding kit, and
you start receiving the every other month

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e-newsletter called Smart Notes and invites to other events that
we host throughout the year.

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So instant gratification, I would say.

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Carrie Huckeby:
Sounds good.

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And doesn't sound, as I think sometimes people think it's too
difficult.

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You know, I've heard people say, "Oh, it's just too difficult."
But I think NTCA has really worked really

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hard to streamline and simplify that application.

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So no reason not to do it here in 2023, right?

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Laura Withers:
Yeah, and I would say what we did was, we separated the award
application from the program application.

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And a lot of people didn't realize that the program application
is pretty simple.

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Now, the award application, like I said, is also pretty simple.

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It's four questions, but that one might take a little bit more
time and thought to put together.

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So if you do join the program, get access to the resources and
celebrate being a Smart Rural Community, then you can

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decide as a second step, if you want to apply for the Showcase
Award, get the extra media attention, the extra NTCA attention,

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as part of that.

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Carrie Huckeby:
Thank you, Laura, for being my guest.

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I think we've had a great conversation.

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Laura Withers:
I agree, Carrie.

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And I just can't let you go without saying thank you so much for
working with us late

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last year on several things, including that we sent a video crew
out to Cookeville to

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visit with some of the customers of Twin Lakes.

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Carrie Huckeby:
Right. DTC.

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Laura Withers:
They even went, yep, they went down the road to DTC as well.

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We produced a wonderful video testimonial about some families
that relocated to Tennessee

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from other parts of the country, Southern California, during the
pandemic and have found ways to thrive in what

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I think might be the most beautiful part of our country because
you have so many beautiful lakes and valleys.

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And I just hope that we can find a way to share that video with
all of your members because, gosh, it just made me want to

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pick up and move to Tennessee.

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Carrie Huckeby:
Yeah, it made me really proud that I live here.

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We're sort of partial here, you know?

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We think there's no better place to live.

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Love seeing the country, but I always love coming home.

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But that's a fantastic video, and I'm looking forward to it
being out there and sharing what we have here.

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So the beautiful scenery and waterways and you know what our
members are doing.

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So we really appreciate you highlighting Tennessee in that for
sure.

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Laura Withers:
Yeah. And don't be surprised if you get a few new neighbors
coming your way at some point here.

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Carrie Huckeby:
That seems to be happening anyway, so we'll take them.

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Laura Withers:
Okay.

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Carrie Huckeby:
My guest has been Laura Withers, VP of Strategic Communications
for NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association.

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And you've been listening to Lead Tennessee Radio, produced by
the Tennessee Broadband Association, cooperative and independent

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