RuralRISE

Rural Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Builders

RuralRISE Tech

Updated Recommendations for Enhancing Rural Broadband Connectivity

In recent years, internet access has transitioned from being a luxury to an absolute necessity. It connects individuals to critical economic, employment, educational, emergency, and telehealth resources. Unfortunately, rural areas continue to face unique challenges due to geographical isolation, limited infrastructure, and economic vulnerabilities. Many rural communities still lack access to high-speed broadband, preventing residents from fully participating in our increasingly digital world.

In 2022, RuralRISE published a detailed white paper, “Rural Communities and the National Broadband Imperative,” which outlined the state of broadband connectivity in rural America. Since then, significant developments such as funding initiatives, legislative efforts, technological advancements, and public-private partnerships have rapidly changed the landscape. In response, we have revisited and updated our recommendations to reflect the current reality in 2024.

The importance of focusing on rural areas cannot be overstated. For too long, these communities have been underserved, resulting in significant disparities in access to essential digital resources. We believe that by aligning these recommendations with the goals of federal broadband programs, policymakers, community leaders, and other stakeholders can maximize the impact of available resources. Collaboration at the federal, state, and local levels will be essential to providing rural communities with the support they need to thrive in a digital world.

Our  recommendations included the following key points:

State Broadband Offices and Engage Local Leadership: Centralized state offices will streamline communication and coordinate initiatives while engaging local leaders to ensure that broadband deployment addresses the unique needs of diverse rural communities.

Invest in Workforce Development and Implement Technology-Neutral Policies: A skilled workforce is essential for building and maintaining sustainable broadband infrastructure.  Workforce Development must remain adaptable to emerging technologies, ensuring future-proof solutions for rural areas.

Develop Affordability Programs and Focus on Long-Term, Coordinated Solutions: Creating robust funding mechanisms and affordability programs is critical to ensure that rural communities can both access and maintain broadband services. Sustainable, coordinated solutions are necessary to ensure long-lasting impact.

Leverage Federal Broadband Funding and Address the Changing Landscape: The Infrastructure Law provides $65 billion in funding to improve internet access, with new programs like BEAD. Rural areas must align efforts with these funding opportunities to adapt to rapid changes in regulations, technology, and resources.

Prioritize Digital Divide Solutions and Policy Coordination: Bridging the digital divide remains vital for equitable access to education, healthcare, and economic opportunities. Coordinated policy efforts at federal and state levels should streamline regulations, allocate funding strategically, and foster collaboration among stakeholders.

Ensure Digital Literacy and Inclusion: As broadband reaches more unserved and underserved communities, digital literacy must be a constant focus in all programming. Inclusive efforts are imperative to guarantee equal access and opportunities for every rural community.

In summary, the updated recommendations presented here represent a proactive and strategic approach to addressing the challenges of rural broadband access and affordability. By focusing on the unique needs of rural areas and ensuring coordination across all levels, we can pave the way for a future where all rural communities have access to affordable and reliable broadband services.

As always, RuralRISE remains dedicated to prioritizing rural needs and ensuring sustainable, affordable, and accessible broadband for rural America.  RuralRISE was established to share resources and programming, and now, more than ever, rural communities must utilize these existing resources and collaborate effectively to move this vision forward. 

We will continue to amplify the voices of rural communities and organizations.  It is crucial that rural perspectives are always represented at the table to ensure that the unique rural challenges and opportunities are addressed.


Sincerely,
Tina Metzer
Co-Founder RuralRISE Tech

Strengthening Rural Broadband Development: Workforce Development

Rural Americans understand better than anyone that reliable access to the internet is not just a convenience; it is a necessity. In our digital world, internet access is key for economic growth, education, healthcare, and civic participation – especially for the remote and rural areas of the country.

In recent years, members of both the public and private sectors have championed policies and initiatives to boost access to the internet in underserved areas. Through the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program, $42.5 billion has been allocated to expand connectivity across the nation. As it is often more expensive to build broadband infrastructure in remote areas, this funding is a game changer for rural communities. The federal dollars are being divided up amongst the states to fund projects – primarily fiber deployment, but there is another layer to building out broadband infrastructure that is equally important: workforce development.

It is anticipated that approximately 70% of broadband deployment spending will be put towards labor costs.[1]  This provides profound opportunities for communities and workers across the country and creates a demand for skilled network technicians and specialists that we all must meet.

Bridging the Talent Gap

The White House expects the country’s broadband buildout to create 200,000 new jobs. Filling those roles requires a trained workforce capable of installing and maintaining new networks. However, as we deploy advanced fiber networks, the country is faced with a “talent gap” reflected in a gap between the number of open jobs available and the number of qualified applicants.

Fortunately, there has been a widespread push from both the public and private sectors to close this gap and prioritize workforce development. Businesses are offering training programs, apprenticeships, and internships to develop career pathways for these vital roles – from trained technicians and engineers to network specialists. Local and state governments are refining plans to train new employees and reskill existing workers. The importance of workforce development has been underlined in the initial proposals for BEAD program submissions. In fact, all 50 states’ initial BEAD proposals incorporate or mention workforce development.

Workforce Development Already at Play

Already, we are seeing collaborations within the telecommunications industry and partnerships with educational institutions share this knowledge and promote career opportunities.

The Telecommunication Industry Association (TIA) recently announced its new workforce portal, Broadband Nation. TIA partnered with state, industry and media partners to create a comprehensive database of information relating to the broadband workforce, new job openings, and trainings around the country. Individuals looking for training opportunities or workers with network skillsets can access the portal to learn more about the career opportunities that are available to them.

Similarly in Arkansas, Heartland Forward, a “think-and-do tank” serving states and local communities in middle America, unveiled its new Connecting the Heartland Broadband Jobs Board in June. The job board serves as a forum to connect job seekers, employers, and training providers to upskill residents and advance careers across the heartland. The board came to fruition thanks to support from Pew Charitable Trusts and through partnership with leading broadband industry employers including AT&T, Cablelynx Broadband, Cox Communications, and Ritter Communications.

Back in 2022, Corning Inc., the largest manufacturer of fiber optic cable in the U.S., and AT&T launched a Fiber Optic Training Program, where trainees receive hands-on experience from industry experts to equip them with the skills they need to enter the workforce. This program is uniquely designed to encourage the knowledge and skills to cascade throughout the industry by setting up graduates of the program to train others, as part of a larger initiative to upskill thousands of American workers. The training is preparing recruits to fill much-needed roles at carriers, construction providers, and broadband companies.

That same curriculum is now being used at technical colleges as well. The Louisiana Community and Technical College System (LCTCS) is just one educational institution that utilizes Corning’s curriculum to offer training courses that prepare students for jobs building, maintaining, and repairing broadband networks.

Why Does it Matter for Rural America?

The BEAD program’s investment in rural broadband presents a unique opportunity for workforce development that can lead to sustainable economic prosperity in these communities.

Broadband deployment and job creation work hand in hand. As BEAD money is earmarked for connecting underserved areas, new jobs are being added to the pipeline in those same communities.

By investing in people alongside technology, we pave the way for a brighter more inclusive tomorrow, for everyone, regardless of where live.

[1] Fiber Broadband Association, 2023 Fiber Deployment Cost Study

Prioritizing Climate Resilience in Rural Broadband Development

Rural broadband connectivity is developing rapidly. With changing climate and weather patterns, how can communities ensure the durability and longevity of this important infrastructure?

Climate resilience is one crucial way. Climate resilience refers to preparing for, responding to, and recovering from the impacts of our changing climate. For rural communities, this means developing smart policies and strategies that address the unique vulnerabilities in their area to plan for a sustainable future. By tailoring plans to their specific needs, rural areas enhance their ability to withstand climate-related risks and promote sustainable growth and development in the future.

Strategic planning is critical for communication infrastructure. Rural areas often face unique challenges due to geographical isolation, limited infrastructure, and economic vulnerabilities. Many of these areas still lack access to high-speed internet, which has negative implications for emergency communications and disaster relief. High-speed broadband can play a foundational role in improving emergency response, promoting sustainable development, and building climate resilience in rural areas.

More money than ever has been dedicated to expanding broadband connectivity to rural communities thanks to federal, state, and local efforts through implementing the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program and other broadband funding initiatives. While connectivity improves lives across all parts of the country, climate change can alter the environment where communication infrastructure is installed, such as rising sea levels affecting coastal areas or increased temperatures impacting equipment performance. Inclement weather can also damage or cut off communications in areas where storms or wildfires strike. Federal and state agencies and community leaders must be strategic with broadband dollars because resources are limited. 

Planning for these events ensures rural communities have reliable technology and infrastructure in place to maintain service, even in the face of disaster or climate impacts. Modern broadband technology, like fiber, is faster and easier to repair than traditional communication infrastructure, making restoring service after a severe weather event easier. As more rural areas are brought online, broadband networks can be designed to withstand extreme and changing conditions, maintain connectivity, or reduce downtime during a crisis. This resilience is crucial for preserving essential communications and services for rural America. 

The Role of Broadband Providers in Promoting Climate-Resilient Futures

Broadband is positively changing lives in rural America. When it comes to climate-smart practices, modern fiber networks enable rural communities to tap into telehealth services, telecommuting for work, precision agriculture, renewable energy systems, knowledge-sharing, and more. Bringing more rural communities into the digital world creates new economic, social, and environmental opportunities, which is why it is critical to ensure robust and resilient broadband infrastructure is in place.

Broadband providers are crucial in ensuring their networks are prepared for more extreme temperatures and changing weather patterns. Providers should incorporate climate data into their planning processes to fulfill this responsibility. Web-based tools like ClimRR, developed by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory, and AT&T, utilize community, demographic, and infrastructure data to provide climate projections to help users visualize future, local-scale climate impacts. By using climate projections and risk assessments, they can inform the design and placement of broadband infrastructure, selecting sites less prone to climate-related hazards and designing systems that can endure extreme conditions.

In addition to planning, adopting sustainable practices and collaboration with stakeholders are essential. Providers can minimize environmental impact by using recyclable materials and implementing energy-efficient technologies like fiber instead of copper, which set a standard for responsible development and help mitigate the effects of climate change. Providers should collaborate with local governments, communities, and environmental organizations to develop innovative and comprehensive strategies for climate resilience to align infrastructure development with broader community and environmental goals, fostering a unified approach to tackling climate challenges.

Expanding rural broadband is a key component of this integration, providing the infrastructure necessary to support climate-smart practices, diversify economies, and enhance community well-being. By prioritizing rural broadband and fostering partnerships, we can build resilient communities that are equipped to face the challenges of climate change and lead the way in sustainable development. Rural communities can utilize broadband for climate adaptation by accessing real-time weather data, participating in telehealth services, and implementing smart agriculture techniques.

The uptick in inclement weather and climate impacts reinforces the importance of building forward-looking critical infrastructure – including prioritizing the best broadband technology to keep communities connected in the face of future climate challenges. Integrating climate resilience into rural broadband development bolsters network reliability and emergency response communication and supports the broader social, economic, and environmental resilience of rural communities. Rural areas can better prepare for, respond to, and recover from future impacts by ensuring reliable connectivity in the face of climate change. 

Rural America and the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP)

Of the 28 million households in the U.S. that lack broadband internet in their home, 18 million say it is because they cannot afford an internet connection.

For rural Americans, that lack of affordability – paired with the rural-urban digital divide – often means insurmountable challenges to accessing an affordable connection to the internet.

In September of 2023, the Rural & Agriculture Council of America (RACA), the National Grange, RuralRISE Tech, and the U.S. Cattlemen’s Association sent a letter to Congressional leadership urging renewal of the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP). 

Let’s look at the program and how it can help rural communities. 

What is the ACP?

The Affordable Connectivity Program is an FCC program that focuses on broadband affordability for American households. 

A young Black girl sits at a laptop. The text on the image reads, "Affordable Connectivity Program, Helping Households Get Access to Broadband"

The benefit provides a discount of up to $30 per month toward internet service for eligible households and up to $75 per month for households on qualifying Tribal lands.

Eligible households can also receive a one-time discount of up to $100 to purchase a laptop, desktop computer, or tablet from participating providers if they contribute more than $10 and less than $50 toward the purchase price.

Why Does it Matter for Rural America?

Excerpting from the letter, emphasis ours:

Overwhelmingly, rural communities’ connectivity has been categorized as a long-term problem to address. These Americans have been overlooked as lawmakers view the digital divide through the simplistic, narrow lens of “who can we help with the most immediate impact”. 

This is because the historical narrative around broadband access holds that households are unconnected because they simply lack access to high-speed internet infrastructure. Indeed, broadband deployment has been toughest in hard-to-reach areas, which in turn causes high costs for internet on rural consumers. 

However, the ACP has alleviated such high costs through providing a discount. This affordability initiative ensures the billions of federal dollars that Congress and The White House have designated to states help build out more broadband infrastructure, through the Broadband, Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program, are going to have a tangible impact for the Americans who need it most. 

So, what can you do to support the program?

Help Get the Word Out

There are a number of ways to support the ACP, including reaching out to your representatives in the House and Senate. 

You can read the letter of support here. You can help your community get enrolled, and share the information with others in rural areas. You can also learn more about the program, including eligibility and enrollment information, by visiting https://www.fcc.gov/acp or calling 877-384-2575.

FCC Affordable Connectivity Program 10 Ways to Spread the Word 1. Help your community enroll 2. Spread the word 3. Request printed materials 4. Connect with local institutions 5. Involve your local government 6. Share ACP info on your websites and social media 7. Request a speaker for an event 8. Help connect the unconnected 9. Find local providers 10. Let everyone know

Why Does Telehealth Access Matter for Rural Broadband?

One-quarter of Americans live in rural areas, but fewer than 10% of U.S. physicians practice in those communities. This shortage of healthcare professionals in rural areas of our country restricts access to healthcare by limiting the supply of available services. 

Residents of rural communities deserve the same quality of care to which their metropolitan peers have access. To compensate for this resource gap, healthcare providers are extending telehealth services. 

But these efforts are coming up against an additional resource gap — broadband internet connectivity.

Rural broadband connectivity is essential for telehealth expansion, but of the 61 million people residing in rural areas, only 58% of adults have a reliable, high-speed broadband connection at home. (Compare this to 67% in urban and 70% in suburban areas.)

The debate is no longer whether telehealth access benefits residents of rural communities but what is the most effective and impactful way to connect rural communities to the broadband services necessary to provide telemedicine.

Let’s examine the connection.

Telehealth Expansion Necessitates Broadband Expansion

The lag in broadband connectivity experienced by rural communities comes in many forms, including:

  • Less robust or fewer types of broadband infrastructure available, 
  • High cost of installing broadband infrastructure, and 
  • Unreliable broadband speeds (required to enable innovations in healthcare).
A telehealth provider sits on a green couch with a laptop sitting on a table in front of her.

A recent study found that only 38.6% of the people who live more than a 70-minute drive from a primary care physician subscribe to an internet connection capable of handling telehealth services.

To expand the reach of telehealth services into non-metropolitan communities, we must begin by laying the broadband infrastructure necessary to offer those services.

Broadband Expansion Empowers First Responders

The expansion of broadband coverage benefits emergency responders as well as the citizens they serve.

First responders are essential to the protection of public health and safety. When they enter rural communities, they require reliable connectivity to communicate with one another and seek additional resources for response.

A blue 6-pointed asterisk sign with the word AMBULANCES on it.

FirstNet has created a predictable network of connectivity in rural communities to empower first responders. FirstNet is a nationwide high-speed wireless broadband network deployed on 20 MHz of high-quality spectrum that is constantly evolving to meet public safety needs. 

When not in use for an emergency, the FirstNet network is used for other commercial purposes (though first responders will always have priority over others during an emergency).

Two benefits of the FirstNet and telehealth connection are:

  1. Enhanced communications for first responders to dispatch an ambulance to a location once the call is received by the consumer/citizen (fairly weak connection).
  2. The network provides high-quality wireless service to many previously unserved rural areas across the US. This wireless broadband can support telehealth activities like online doctor appointments when not in use for an emergency.

But local communities often lack the resources necessary to bring broadband to their areas. That’s where the federal government can help.

Federal Expansion of Broadband Connectivity and Telehealth Access

Recognizing the need for rural communities to 1) improve broadband access and then 2) establish telehealth provisions, various federal programs have increased opportunities and support for public health organizations to establish broadband connectivity.

The US Capitol Building at sunset, where federal programs have been created to aid rural residents access affordable broadband internet.

There are a number of federal programs providing pathways to affordable broadband. Below are a few that emphasize rural broadband access:

The Office for the Advancement of Telehealth is working to improve health care in rural, urban, and underserved communities. In particular, their telehealth grant programs promote and advance telehealth services in rural areas.

The FCC’s Connect2Health Task Force (C2HFCC) is engaged in ongoing efforts to provide expert input and information to stakeholders from a variety of states throughout the country about the importance of broadband and broadband-enabled technologies (e.g., telemedicine, remote monitoring, etc.) in health care at various telehealth resource center annual conferences.

The Rural Health Care Program (which the FCC also oversees) provides funding to eligible healthcare providers for telecommunications and broadband services necessary for the provision of telehealth. This program aims to improve the quality of healthcare available to patients in rural communities by ensuring eligible healthcare providers have access to telecommunications and broadband services. 

The National Map of Telehealth Resource Centers provides assistance, education, and information to organizations and individuals who are actively providing or interested in providing health care at a distance.

The Rural Health Information Hub has created a list of current efforts providing telehealth funding for rural healthcare providers.

The American Connectivity Program (ACP) is a nationwide initiative that helps households afford the broadband they need for work, school, healthcare, and more.

But access isn’t the end of the story.

Digital Literacy’s Impact on Telehealth

Digital literacy refers to a user’s ability to navigate information and communication technologies to find, evaluate, create, and communicate information. This skill is critical when navigating telehealth — like every other skill set, we can teach digital literacy!

It is not enough to simply equip rural communities with broadband infrastructure. To maximize the impact of broadband expansion, users need to understand how to actually use the internet.

A pair of hands holds a tablet. The screen reads CONNECT and shows different social media icons.

Several initiatives are already in place to improve digital literacy, particularly in rural areas. And some digital literacy programs focus on serving marginalized communities in rural areas.

For example, the elderly community are frequent healthcare users and can benefit significantly from improved access to telehealth, but only if they feel confident and comfortable navigating the resource online.

While telehealth and telemedicine are on the upswing in rural America, there’s still much work to be done before equitable access is the norm. So how can you help?

Bringing the Benefits of Telehealth to Rural America

Telehealth is an effective way to combat the harm of reduced resources in rural areas, but only if those communities are connected to the Internet. Establishing robust broadband connectivity in rural communities will strengthen telehealth services that have a direct, positive impact on rural residents.

But getting to a place where all Americans can access broadband and services like telemedicine will take continued care and effort. That’s where you come in.

Do you or your organization work in telehealth? 

Do you work to bridge resource gaps like broadband connectivity in rural communities? 

Have you struggled with or benefitted from these services as a consumer?

We would love to hear from you and continue the conversation. When we get together to talk about the impact of programs closing the urban-rural healthcare divide, it helps communities understand successful programs and program pitfalls, among other benefits.

Join in the conversation on Twitter or in our LinkedIn or Facebook groups.