Connecting Rural America Through Fixed Wireless Technology
In places where there are more livestock than people and where miles of land separate one household from the next, finding an internet connection can sometimes be challenging. The length of time it would take and the amount it would cost to build a fiber network in certain remote regions can make it nearly impossible to bring high-speed fiber connections to rural areas. But America's internet service providers have been working towards innovative solutions to bridge the digital divide. Some of NCTA's members have begun to explore fixed wireless connectivity as an option to connect customers in
How High-Speed Internet is Improving Education in Rural Schools
Many schools today look a lot different than they used to. High-speed connectivity is encouraging the adoption of 1-to-1 laptop and Bring-Your-Own-Device programs in schools, as well as reputable online learning programs like the Khan Academy, a well-known video lecture site for classroom instruction. But where technology and a broadband connection are having a huge impact in education are in the schools that reside in the most remote parts of the nation. These are communities where miles and miles of land might separate one household from its closest neighbor, or where harsh weather or
Reaching the Last Mile: Hearing on Rural Broadband Examines Solutions to Closing the Digital Divide
Today, the U.S. House of Representatives holds an important hearing to discuss the challenges and benefits of rolling out broadband to rural regions across the country in order to reach communities that are currently affected by the digital divide. We applaud members of the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology for opening up a dialogue that brings to the table innovative broadband solutions and approaches to connect more Americans. As we have seen, high-speed and reliable connectivity is the key to improving a community's economic vitality, education, healthcare, and growth, and rural
Another Step Towards Closing the Digital Divide in Rural America
There is hardly any region in the country that hasn't been touched and influenced by broadband connectivity in some shape or form. From coastal cities to small villages in Alaska, America's cable internet service providers have invested more than $275 billion over the past two decades to build robust broadband networks that reach over 90 percent of U.S. homes. High-speed internet is boosting local economies and giving residents the opportunity to succeed in just about every area of their lives. But there are still areas of the country that do not have access to broadband. For this reason
Midco Levels the Playing Field for Rural Schools
Stretched along and bordering the Cheyenne River Reservation in South Dakota is the Meade School District, the largest school district in the state, geographically speaking. Spread out over 3,000-plus miles, a district that is this remote has had its fair share of connectivity challenges. Jeff Ward, the district's curriculum and technology director, said that its recent partnership with Midco—which provides internet, phone and cable TV services for communities in South Dakota, North Dakota, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Kansas—has helped level the playing field for their schools. Students now enjoy
Three Questions: Building a High-Speed Network in Alaska's Toughest Terrain
Expert: Heather Handyside, GCI Director of Corporate Communications GCI's Heather Handyside shares how Alaska's TERRA network (Terrestrial for Every Rural Region in Alaska), came to be and how it continues to transform the lives of native Alaskans everyday. Since 2011, the TERRA network has brought a higher level of internet connectivity to villages and communities across the state which were previously only serviced by satellite. What kind of work was required to build out the TERRA network? Building the TERRA network required visionaries and innovators but also people with the technical know
New Report Highlights the Important Role Connectivity Plays in Rural America
President Trump was in Nashville, Tennessee this afternoon along with Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue speaking to over 4500 farmers at the American Farm Bureau conference. There he announced the release of the Administration’s ‘Rural Prosperity Report’ that takes a fresh look at ways the federal government can support agriculture, economic development, job growth, infrastructure improvements, technological innovation, energy security, and quality of life in rural America. The report specifically calls out the role broadband plays in enabling increased productivity for farms, factories
American Ninja Warrior Nick Hanson Shares His Story of Rural Broadband
Nick Hanson is a lot of things; he’s a coach, a volunteer, a Native Alaskan, and a Ninja Warrior. He’s also an internet advocate. Hailing from Unalakleet, an extremely small town in Western Alaska, Hanson knows how important a reliable internet connection is for small communities like his. It’s a lifeline, delivering access an education, receive quality healthcare, and remain plugged in to the rest of the world. With Hanson’s notoriety as a competitor on American Ninja Warrior, a TV show where athletes race to complete extremely difficult obstacle courses, Hanson has a remarkable platform to
Alaska's Secret to High-Speed Internet
In a state where dog sledding is a popular sport and where roads in between neighbors are often hard to come by, high-speed internet makes all the difference. Like their urban counterparts, Alaskans demand more bandwidth as they rely on the internet more and more each day, and satellite service and low latency just couldn't do the job any longer. That's where the TERRA network [Terrestrial for Every Rural Region in Alaska], which is provided by GCI, the state's largest provider of broadband, comes in. TERRA serves 45,000 Alaskans in 84 communities across the most remote areas of the country
Sjoberg's: How a Small Internet Provider is Transforming Rural Minnesota
If you took a road trip out through rural Minnesota, you probably wouldn’t expect much could be going on in the tiny, wood-surrounded homes in the distance, or in the small farmhouses with the quartermile driveways. But as Dick Sjoberg knows, this is far from the truth. As the president of Sjoberg’s, the small, family-owned, internet, TV and phone provider serving northwestern Minnesota, Mr. Sjoberg has seen a lot in the business over the past several decades. Sjoberg’s customers come from communities with an average population size of 1,000, but some have no more than 50 people. Just like