A New Year Brings New Conversations & Connections

Hello, again!

I hope your holidays were a relaxing time spent with family and loved ones. January is here once again, and Tennessee Broadband Association preparations are underway for another year packed with activities.

The year kicks off with the 113th General Assembly reconvening, which begins the second Tuesday in January, Our Government Affairs team will be there, and planning will soon ramp up for our Day on the Hill in February. It’s a time when our members can meet with state legislators and discuss matters of importance in #ConnectingTN. And we’ll soon start putting together plans for the TNBA Annual Convention & Showcase in June.

I believe this year will bring more conversation and developments regarding the Broadband, Equity, Access and Deployment program, or BEAD, which provides federal grants for high-speed internet service expansion through the funding of planning, infrastructure development and adoption programs across the country. Check out our “Lead Tennessee Radio” episode with Tennessee’s Federal Program Officer Paige Shapiro for her thoughts on BEAD.

I’m sure there will also be a conversation about Universal Service Fund reform, workforce and career opportunities, supply chains, and new innovations. Meanwhile, I know our members will continue to complete and maintain their fiber networks to ensure reliable connectivity in the state continues to grow.

The new year will likely bring developments none of us can truly anticipate, but it also promises one constant — the continuation of the work the association and our members have been doing for the last 90 years. And I look forward to working right alongside you in creating a more #ConnectedTN!