Contact: Lauren Gaydos, 703-351-2015
Arlington, Va., (April 22, 2021)—All community-based broadband providers, regardless of corporation structure, should be recognized in any comprehensive infrastructure package, said Shirley Bloomfield, chief executive officer of NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association, and Claude Aiken, president and chief executive officer of WISPA, in an opinion piece published today in Morning Consult.
In a piece entitled “An Inclusive and Effective Approach to ‘Community-Based’ Broadband,” authored in response to language in President Biden’s proposed American Jobs Plan that would prioritize funding for municipally operated, cooperatively organized or nonprofit providers, Bloomfield and Aiken encourage the administration to allow any community-based provider with a proven track record of performance to be eligible for funding, including family-owned companies, sole proprietorships, Tribal internet service providers and other community-based commercial businesses who are today delivering essential services across rural and small-town America.
“We all know the phrase, ‘all politics is local,’ and when it comes to broadband deployment, the same sentiment is often true, as programs that encourage and incentivize local partnerships and collaboration can unleash broadband investment and help sustain those networks once built,” Bloomfield and Aiken write. “The best results are often achieved when operators with experience building networks and delivering communications services work together with community stakeholders to identify and respond to specific needs.
“To truly unleash the power of localized broadband deployment, we should ensure all community-based providers have a seat at the table.”
The full piece can be found on Morning Consult’s website.
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NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association is the premier association representing nearly 850 independent, community-based telecommunications companies that are leading innovative change in smart rural communities across America. In an era of transformative technological developments, regulatory challenges and marketplace competition, NTCA members are advancing efforts to close the digital divide by delivering robust and high-quality services over future-proof networks. Their commitment to building sustainable networks makes rural communities fertile ground for innovation in economic development, e-commerce, health care, agriculture and education, and it contributes billions of dollars to the U.S. economy each year. Visit us at www.ntca.org.