Smart Rural Communities: Going Above and Beyond
By Carrie Huckeby
As a TNBA member, you already know what works in your communities—you know exactly which neighborhoods still need service, which businesses are struggling without decent internet and how much work it really takes to connect the communities you serve. You’ve also seen the small victories that add up to real change. That’s why the Smart Rural Community program exists. Led by NTCA, the program recognizes providers who are committed to helping communities flourish by promoting rural broadband and enabling innovation.
Many of our members—Ben Lomand Connect, BTC Fiber, DTC Communications, Highland Telephone Cooperative, Loretto Telecom, NCTC, Trilight, Twin Lakes, WK&T and Skyline—have earned this designation. What’s more, Ben Lomand Connect, North Central and DTC Communications have all been recipients of the SRC Showcase awards for their extraordinary achievements and contributions to the use of broadband and technology to empower innovation in agriculture, economic development, education, health care and other industries necessary to allow rural communities to thrive.
“A Smart Community is about connection—neighbors to friends, teachers to students, doctors to patients,” says Shirley Bloomfield, NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association CEO. “And it’s also our way of showcasing that high-speed internet served by local, community-based providers with a vested interest in helping their hometowns thrive stands out in unique ways from services provided by larger, regional and national companies. Simply put, local broadband delivers local impact.”
To qualify as a Smart Rural Community provider, NTCA members must be in good standing, offer 100 Mbps broadband to 50% or more of their service area, have broadband subscription rates of at least 50% and affirm their commitment to the SRC principles and collaborative innovation.
So why does this designation matter? By becoming a Smart Rural Community, the provider is proving its commitment to advancing their hometowns into forward-thinking, future-ready communities ripe with opportunity for growth and development, whether it’s in a business or a personal sense.
At the end of the day, the best part of the SRC program is how it highlights everyday success stories from people whose lives and livelihoods have been enhanced by broadband, just like the folks you read about in this newsletter every month. The Smart Rural Community qualification shines a light on these stories, proving that the power of connection can encourage, uplift and transform.
Don’t miss the regional event of the year, the 2025 KYRBA/TNBA Fall Conference at the Franklin Cool Springs Marriott, from October 14-16. Visit the Registration page to view event details, including speakers, sponsors, and download our highly anticipated agenda.