-
A New Game Plan Is Needed
NTCA’s CEO, Shirley Bloomfield talks about changes to USF, Intercarrier Compensation and how rural operators need to try a different game plan to have their and their customer’s voices heard in Washington D.C. She suggests that the uncertainty needs to be resolved, as it is delaying operators’ plans for rolling out broadband. And this uncertainty…
-
Strong, Faster Than Before – The Video
About two months ago, an impromptu video I shot at CES 2012 went somewhat viral. The reason for its relative popularity was because Popular Science selected it to be part of their YouTube channel. Why it was picked up by Popular Science remains a mystery. Still, based on the number of YouTube “likes” versus “dislikes”, the message…
-
Not Going to Disrupt Our Customers
“We don’t want to disrupt our customers,” said Colleen Abdoulah, CEO/President of Wide Open West!, at the 2012 ACA Summit. She explains that costs for retransmission of broadcast signals doubled and tripled the previous agreements. She was speaking of the challenges her company, as well other ACA member companies, face in terms of retransmission consent…
-
Stimulating and Driving the Broadband Bus
Skin in the game differentiated Farmers Mutual Telephone Company from other providers and was a key to their partnership with their local county, so says Kevin Beyer, General Manager of Farmers Mutual Telephone. For years, Farmers Mutual Telephone Company served residences in one-half of rural Lac qui Parle County . He explains the process for how…
-
The Local Content Club
Engaging students and high schools in the creation of local content is a great idea. What happens after the shine wears off or a new semester starts and the kids and teachers are no longer interested in the drudgery of producing video? Santel Communications of South Dakota has come up with some clever ideas to…
-
Ideas for Rural Broadband Operator/Municipal Partnerships
John Schultz provides ideas for how broadband operators can partner with municipal and other government entities to bring broadband to rural areas. He points out that, although 92% of Minnesota residences have broadband access based on FCC standards, only 53% have broadband, based on the state of Minnesota’s more stringent standards. He suggests there is…
