National Rural Electric Cooperative Association
Arkansas Co-ops Build Fiber Broadband Access to 1.4 Million Residents
Arkansas distribution cooperatives are celebrating building future-proof fiber optic broadband access to more than 1 million rural residents within seven years. “No longer does a person have to live in a metropolitan area to have access to lightning-fast internet service,” said Vernon “Buddy” Hasten, president/CEO of Arkansas Electric Cooperative Corp.
America’s Electric Co-ops Ready to Work with Trump Administration, New Congress to Strengthen Rural Communities
National Rural Electric Cooperative Association CEO Jim Matheson issued a statement on the election results, congratulating President-Elect Trump and touching on electric cooperative policy priorities:
NRECA Urges Location True-Up Process Before Final BEAD Awards
On October 31, NRECA sent a letter to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration expressing concern about the potential for BEAD funds being used to overbuild locations with fiber-to-the-home connections. CEO Jim Matheson wrote "As state broadband offices begin opening BEAD application windows and evaluating proposals, I write to express concern about the potential for BEAD funds being used to overbuild locations with fiber-tothe-home connections.
NRECA Files Comments with FCC on their Annual State of Broadband Availability Report
On October 7, 2024, the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) filed in the Federal Communications Commission’s Annual 706 Report on Broadband Availability. NRECA's comments focus on six main points:
End of Affordable Connectivity Program Will Hurt Broadband Deployment
Electric cooperatives serve 92% of the nation’s persistent poverty counties and are deploying broadband networks in many hard-to-reach parts of the country. The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association conducted a survey in the summer of 2023 that showed strong participation in and support for the Federal Communications Commission's Affordable Connectivity Program by member co-ops.
NRECA CEO to Congress: Improve Broadband Programs Crucial to Rural America
Electric cooperatives need Congress to improve critical broadband programs to bring high-speed internet service to rural America, said NRECA CEO Jim Matheson. More than 200 electric co-ops across the US are deploying broadband or developing plans to do so. Matheson asked the committee to make key improvements to broadband programs at the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) as it develops the Farm Bill:
Co-ops Ask NTIA for BEAD Eligibility Flexibility
In a letter to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) expressed concerns about the Federal Communications Commission's new National Broadband Map and urged the NTIA to provide states with flexibility in determining locations and areas eligible for funding in the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program.
NRECA to Launch New Broadband Tier to Help Members Bridge Digital Divide
NRECA is forming a new broadband tier of services to help electric cooperatives navigate the challenges of deploying broadband in the communities they serve. The broadband tier “is in response to the telecommunications needs of a significant and growing number of our members,” NRECA CEO Jim Matheson said. “NRECA’s mission is to be an advocate for quality of life in the diverse communities our members serve.
The Rural Digital Opportunity Fund: Rural America’s Broadband Hopes at Risk
The Federal Communications Commission's Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) Phase I encouraged many with the promise of needed support to connect homes with true broadband services in unserved rural communities. However, RDOF’s Phase I exposed many issues that will likely lead to deployment delays, missed expectations, or worse. Specifically, some applicants that bid in the Gigabit tier have submitted unrealistic wireless network designs that are highly unlikely to produce Gigabit service to rural communities.