This interview between Jason Walls and Josh Seidemann is well worth the listen. It provides a great overview of NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association members and how they serve their communities. They are not only technology leaders, but they are connectors among local institutions and make their respective communities better. Some notes from the interview, along with links are below. The 80% FTTH coverage is amazing. NTCA and its members have been leading this effort for 20 years, so it is not that big of a surprise. This conversation takes me about 20+ years to a conference NTCA organized on fiber rollout. https://lnkd.in/g8EHh7a2 Many of those same lessons from 2003 still apply. Some of their members have had 100% fiber-to-the-premise coverage for more than a decade. As alluded to by Jason, the Broadband Forum's webinar on March 26th will explain the results of the value-added survey administered by Omdia. That discussion is sure to illuminate the important findings of that report. https://lnkd.in/g4BeZm_D The broadband provider as a collaborator is a great way for operators to build off the fiber assets they have installed. Josh correctly points out that their member operators are the technology leaders for their communities. The fact that the management lives with their customers changes the dynamics compared to larger operators who serve larger cities. Josh is right that NTCA members aggressively upgrade because they want their communities to keep pace with the rest of the world. At 39 minutes, Josh refers to last June's NTCA's Smart Rural Community conference. A local law enforcement agency has implemented a smartwatch designed for victims of domestic violence. He also references the judge who uses broadband and technology to help people in various ways (see this link for an interview with that judge). https://lnkd.in/gkpC45_x Josh's comment about their member who trains their front-line people to look for hints of trouble in a home is a great example of how their members serve their respective communities beyond being technology leaders.
Translating technology into value and back again. Director of Technical Marketing at QA Cafe. Host of the Epik Mellon Podcast. Comedy is how we stay sane.
Let's talk about the #broadband divide for a moment. This week's guest on the #epikmellon podcast (link in comments) is Josh Seidemann from NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association, an organization I have much respect for. I learned a lot about what small telcos/ISPs face when delivering service out to places with upwards of 7-9 people per mile, and how they can serve as technology leaders in their communities. I've been waiting to have NTCA folks on for a while so this is a good one!
Jason Walls
9mo
Excellent summary Ken! I’m so glad I got to chat with Josh. Full episode here: https://youtu.be/QnAS_pyY0c4?si=P5dgJ1zuG9S4fNyZ
Marketing Director/Broadband Forum - Managing Editor/Viodi View & ViodiTV
9moOne other point. The 80% FTTH coverage complements what Roland Montagne suggested at the Broadband Forum's BASe. He indicated that the U.S. small ISPs & municipalities, collectively, are #5 worldwide for #FTTH subscribers at about 19.5 million.