Rural Broadband Today WordSouth

As far as electric utilities go, Jefferson PUD is relatively young. That hasn't stopped them from taking some unique steps to bring broadband to rural and geographically challenging areas of Northwest Washington.

Rural broadband build-outs by electric cooperatives have been remarkably successful, according to a recent report from NRTC and NRECA. Despite rising labor and material costs, most co-ops report higher than expected take rates and a 9% internal rate of return. Notably, among the 88 co-ops surveyed, serving their community was the biggest motivational factor listed, with revenue lagging significantly behind. Two of the report’s architects share more insights in this episode. The full report is available online from NRTC.

Even with the huge amount of funding coming in to expand broadband, Jordana Barton-Garcia says impoverished regions like tribal lands, the Mississippi Delta, the border region of Texas and central Appalachia could still be left on the wrong side of the digital divide if policymakers and ISPs don't focus on digital equity.

While broadband providers enthusiastically welcome government funding to build and expand networks, Vantage Point’s Jeff Smith details some of the transparency requirements that come with it.

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

GUMBO is more than just the best new acronym in the industry. The program has catapulted Louisiana's broadband office forward into a leading role across the country.