Government leaders in the Ozarks (MO) are taking steps to increase broadband access in their communities. Access to fast and reliable internet is an issue city leaders in Republic (MO) have heard about for years, and it was only made worse by the pandemic. “The discussion has always been there, at least since I’ve been here,” says David Cameron, Republic City Administrator. “We heard about it a lot when people were home. ‘What are we doing to increase our speed and reliability in our community?’ And I think a lot of this was brought to the forefront.” But, Cameron says getting an internet service provider (ISPs) to expand infrastructure or increase speeds can be challenging. So Republic and several other cities are taking a different approach. Greene and Christian County, Republic, Nixa, Willard, Ozark, and Strafford (MO) are putting together a regional broadband initiative board, where a representative from each municipality would hold a seat, but the board would act as a separate entity. Once it is created, the board would apply as one entity for American Rescue Plan Act dollars that are being administered through the state. Cameron says the next steps for creating that board should happen in the next couple of weeks.