NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association

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.

Recognizing that access to the internet, digital devices, and digital literacy are key to bridging the digital divide and opening doors to economic prosperity, NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association released a new toolkit to help its small broadband provider members increase broadband adoption and engagement throughout their communities. SMART Tools for Digital Inclusion assists rural broadband providers and state broadband offices in promoting broadband adoption in rural communities by assessing

Playbook 3.0 combines four deep-dive modules that aim to help state broadband offices as they make decisions on key aspects of the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program and complete their initial proposals for NTIA review before a December 27 deadline. The Broadband Infrastructure Playbook 3.0 includes the following modules that offer solutions to some of the most challenging BEAD proposal requirements:

NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association launched its new “Broadband Built to Last” ad campaign, which aims to educate policymakers and the public on the critical role the Universal Service Fund plays in getting and keeping rural consumers connected to high quality, affordable broadband service. 

In the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, Congress established a preference for “priority broadband projects,” defined as projects providing broadband service that meet high performance standards, can scale with consumer and business needs over time, and will enable the deployment of 5G and other advanced services. After receiving input from a wide range of parties, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) determined that “end-to-end fiber optic facilities” were the only platform that satisfied these requirements and warranted such a priority.

With the enactment of the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), we finally have the resources and direction to enable us to achieve universal connectivity. Yet, success is not assured. We now need to turn our attention to execution, making sure we invest these enormous resources in infrastructure that will connect communities for decades to come.

In a letter to the leaders of the Congressional Committees on Agriculture, a coalition of partners in rural development, education and communications urged Congress to "aim for levels of connectivity in USDA programs that will meet the needs of rural Americans not just today but well into the future." They wrote, "we encourage you to continue to put the interests of rural communities first by codifying in the Farm Bill a minimum service level commitment of 100 Mbps symmetrical broadband service – the level specified in the oversubscribed third round of ReConnect – for any applicant seeking

The proportion of US urban populations declined slightly from 2010 to 2020, while the proportion of US rural populations increased during the same period. Yet while the narrative is good news, the changes seem to be less about people moving in or out of rural and urban places and more about how the Census Bureau defines “rural.” Specifically, the Census Bureau: