Nebraska Broadband Director Aims to Speak Providers’ Language

Just about six months into his appointed role as broadband director for Nebraska, Patrick Haggerty is upbeat, positive, and taking on Nebraska’s BEAD deployment with a smile. Haggerty assumed his new duties under Governor Jim Pillen (R-NE) in mid-2023, shortly after the state created its first broadband office. Haggerty comes to his new role with more than three decades of telecommunications experience in the private sector, critical in a state that’s considered to be friendly toward providers. “It’s important that our office is able to be provider-friendly and speak the same language as ISPs,” Haggerty explained.  “There are no requirements in BEAD that providers engage and participate, so without them we’re sunk.” Haggerty said that everyone in the Nebraska Broadband Office is fully committed to his three tenets of transparency, accessibility, and being easy to work with. He expressed optimism that the state’s BEAD allocation of $405.3 million would be enough to reach the underserved and unserved of Nebraska.