Joshua Seidemann

Labor market shortages in rural spaces have been a subject of inquiry for several years. Certain conversations intensified after the Great Recession and COVID-19, but the primary forces reshaping rural job markets had been building for decades. Continuing evolutions in U.S. labor markets, however, indicate positive opportunities for rural spaces with robust broadband connectivity, supplemented by active engagement among different sectors, including K-12 education and upskilling for current workers, all aimed at facilitating tech-based and knowledge economy jobs. As of January 2026, U.S.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is the product of high-speed computer analysis of vast data sets that results in predictive guidance for users. It can be used across a wide range of industries and applications, including broadband network management; medicine and health care; writing and content creation; and customer  service support. AI represents both an opportunity and challenge for rural broadband providers and the communities they serve. AI promises efficiencies and other gains but also implicates privacy, data security  and labor market considerations.

The role of broadband in building rural economies was a recurring theme at recent National Rural Economic Developers Association meetings in Washington, highlighting how high-tech communications support sustainable rural prosperity. As an NREDA board member, NTCA participated in meetings with White House staff, the Small Business Administration, U.S. Department of Agriculture, the House Agriculture ,Committee and other offices.

NTCA - The Rural Broadband Association submitted reply comments to the Federal Communications Commission regarding the In Re: Delete, Delete, Delete request for comments. NTCA's reply comments touched on a number of topics, including the Universal Service Fund. "NTCA urges the Commission to reject those questioning the need for universal service programs.

NTCA-The Rural Broadband Association submitted comments to the Federal Communications Commission in response to the In Re: Delete, Delete, Delete request for comments. NTCA's remarks focused on the "elimination, pruning, or streamlining of regulations that are outdated, unnecessary, unduly burdensome, or inconsistent with their governing statutory authority." Notably, NTCA recommended the elimination of digital discrimination rules adopted in November 2023. The Association also opposes the addition of proposed broadband label requirements, including multilingual labels.

Rural Americans encounter substantial healthcare disparities when compared to urban counterparts, including provider shortages, less access to specialists, and higher mortality risks from various chronic and acute conditions. While 13.8% of the U.S. population lives in rural areas, rural regions comprise two-thirds of healthcare provider shortage areas. Accordingly, broadband-enabled telehealth that mitigates barriers to healthcare access can be a transformative solution for patients and physicians in rural areas.

One in five U.S. students attends K-12 school in a rural district. The reduced economies of scale in those schools can result in limited funding, barriers to on-going professional training for teachers and other factors that implicate trickle-down impacts on student experiences. However, many schools are developing creative solutions to address their needs, relying on technology and innovative solutions.

In October 2020, 55% of Americans teleworked; 16 months later, in January 2022, full-time telework dropped to 43%, and by October 2023, full-time telework rates had decreased to 35%. Current data, however, indicate that about one-third of Americans are working a hybrid schedule, alternating days at the office with days at home (or away). These trends offer benefits to rural spaces where robust broadband capabilities can support a wide range of telework experiences. Fortuitously, these trends coincide with increasing rates of broadband adoption.

NTCA submits that overriding public interest goals can be accomplished with narrowly drawn measures that focus upon key potential points of failure in the transmission of content and data, regardless of where they reside in the ecosystem.

On November 9, 2022, a group of organizations met with the Federal Communications Commission's Office of Native Affairs and Policy to discuss the need for policies for broadband-enabling infrastructure in Tribal regions.