Cooperatives: The Unsung Heroes of Broadband

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I believe deeply in the importance of connectivity and the role that counties and cooperatives play in that endeavor. I was asked to talk about a few things today: the importance of broadband in a time of COVID; the important role that cooperatives play in broadband deployment; and the different technologies that deliver broadband to our homes, offices, and schools. Let’s start with the importance of broadband. Broadband is not a luxury it is a necessity. Long story short, and to use a quote from Bernadine Joselyn of the Blandin Foundation in Minnesota, “everything is better with better broadband.” There are about 260 telephone cooperatives and 834 electric cooperatives spread throughout the country. Today, more than 100 electric cooperatives have retail fiber-optic broadband services. Co-ops are laying down the fiber necessary to meet the needs and demands of a digital rural America. So, why do I say that co-ops are the unsung heroes of broadband? First and foremost, they have a history of rural connectivity, second, they are distinctly local, and third, they have the infrastructure in place.


Cooperatives: The Unsung Heroes of Broadband