NRTC

Itron presented two awards to NRTC during its recent Itron Inspire conference in San Antonio. An Outstanding Performance award was for deploying an AMI network for Cherokee Electric Cooperative in Alabama at an unusually rapid and efficient pace. NRTC also received an Innovator Award for its assistance in the developing Itron’s Fiber Mini Access Point, a technology that will expand fiber backhaul into AMI networks. https://rb.gy/pzjk5o

FCC Opens First Section 706 Inquiry Since 2020 The FCC has opened a Notice of Inquiry to determine whether broadband service is becoming available to all Americans “in a reasonable and timely fashion.” Pre-pandemic, the FCC conducted inquiries most years, as directed by Section 706 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 but has not done so si...

Enhanced A-CAM to Provide $18.26 Billion Over 15 Years for Rural Broadband The FCC has cleared $18.26 billion in support for rural broadband networks through the universal service Enhanced Alternative Connect America Cost Model (Enhanced A-CAM) program. A total of 368 rural telcos opted for the funding under a program adopted last July. The Commission estimates that about....

NRTC’s Joe Walsh, VP, Smart Grid Advisory and Networks, was a featured speaker at the recent 2023 Joint TECA/KEC Engineering, Operations and District Managers Conference in Gatlinburg, TN. There is a mix of standards-based communications technologies cooperatives will incorporate into their future operations, including fiber and several forms of wireless connections. Walsh discussed how these technologies can lead to reliable and resilient smart grid infrastructure. He spoke specifically about communications for fault location isolation and service restoration (FLISR), demand voltage reduction (DVR), distributed energy resource management (DERMS) functions and others.

Supply Chain Risk Management (S-CRM) for Critical Infrastructure The final installment of our series of Cybersecurity Awareness Month articles from SilverSky’s Tom Neclerio focuses on protecting critical infrastructure, including electric distribution. Understanding supply Chain Risk Management (S-CRM) will help organizations maintain the most important public ...

Recovering from a Cybersecurity Breach or Ransomware Attack The difference between minor disruption from a cyberattack and significant disruption could depend on how your business reacts to the incident. The next installment in our series of Cybersecurity Awareness Month articles from SilverSky’s Tom Neclerio provides assessment, containment, remediation a...

Title II NPRM Raises Debate Over Rural Connectivity The FCC almost certainly will adopt an order to reinstate Title II telecommunications rules on internet access within the next few months. The Commission today adopted a proceeding to begin the process. Critics say reinstatement is unnecessary and could impede investment in broadband services. Title...

Teresa Ferguson, NRTC’s senior director, Broadband and Infrastructure Funding, was a featured speaker on a recent CFC training webinar, “BEAD Broadband Funding Opportunities for Co-ops.” Last summer, the federal government announced the allocations each state will receive from the $42.5 billion Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program. Near the end of this year, the states must report back to the government with plans on how they will use that money to provide affordable broadband service in rural areas. So, what should co-ops do now? “What you're looking for right now is engagement with the [state broadband] office so that you know what's coming,” Ferguson said. “Please lean in at the state level to provide them with information that they can use to craft their state map challenge process or their grant application process.” CFC says its members will be able to access a recording of the webinar from its website.

NRTC invites its members to an hour-long webinar, “Pivot joins NRTC - What Does it Mean for You,” on Oct. 31 at 2 p.m. Eastern Time. After NRTC’s recent acquisition of The Pivot Group, LLC, meet Pivot CEO Dave Nieuwstraten and President Jeremy Graves, who along with NRTC’s Greg Santoro, will answer member questions. How does the NRTC/Pivot combination benefit members? What are Pivot’s marketing and consulting services? How can Pivot help members plan not just broadband, but other businesses? Register now at https://rb.gy/rg8te.

Pivot joins NRTC: What does it mean for you? (October 31, 2023, 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM ET) – Join NRTC for a meet and greet with Pivot, broadband marketing and customer experience (CX) leaders, and newest to join the NRTC team. You will hear from Greg Santoro, NRTC SVP, Chief Marketing & Strategy Officer, on how the acquisition fits into the NR...

Commission Expected to OK E-Rate Funds for School Bus Wi-Fi Along with the Title II vote planned for later this week, the FCC expects to vote on a plan to allow support from the universal service E-Rate program to pay for Wi-Fi hotspots on school buses. While connectivity in buses could benefit some rural students who still lack access to the internet at hom...

Strategies for Detecting and Responding to a Cybersecurity Incident or Attack In the digital age, all businesses can expect an attack at some point and proactive detection will reduce the damage. The latest installment of our series of Cybersecurity Awareness Month articles from SilverSky’s Tom Neclerio describes network monitoring, user behavior analytics and other tools f...

Yesterday, NRTC's Byron Tuley (left), regional sales director, accepted the 2023 Calix Partner Training Achievement Award during in Las Vegas.

The award reflects the training completed by our Broadband and Managed Services network engineering teams to earn 11 Calix certifications in 2023. These certifications make it easier for network engineering and sales teams to develop more efficient network designs that are aligned with the business goals of our members.

Proposals to Secure IoT Concern High-Tech and Telecom Sectors Clearly understandable rules to inform consumers about the cybersecurity protections in IoT devices are a beneficial objective. But some in the high-tech industry say the FCC’s proposed voluntary cybersecurity labeling rules are too complex and costly to win widespread industry compliance. At the ...

Identifying Cybersecurity Risks and Strategies for Protecting Your Organization In the second of our October cybersecurity series, SilverSky’s Tom Neclerio lists the risks that modern businesses face and summarizes the steps businesses can take to reduce risks. “Cybersecurity is an ongoing effort … It’s imperative to be proactive,” Neclerio says. This series of articl...

Are you at the eLations eLevate conference in Sioux Falls, SD? If so please stop by the NRTC booth to meet with Byron Tuley. Byron is looking forward to connecting with our members, learning what's new with eLations, and keeping up with industry events.

Cybersecurity Month Events Begin With NRTC Critical Infrastructure Webinar October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month. NRTC and other rural electric and communications organizations are planning events to help members guard against cyberattacks. NRTC’s webinar, “Protecting Critical Infrastructure: Navigating NIST Compliance for Broadband and Electric Co-ops,” is set fo...

Old Conflict Returns: With a Full FCC, Net Neutrality Debate Is Back FCC Chairwoman Jessical Rosenworcel has circulated a draft document to reinstate net neutrality rules and Title II regulation of the internet, which were repealed in 2017 by the previous FCC. The swearing in of Anna Gomez to the Commission on Monday broke a two and a half year 2-2 tie and appears to...

FCC Restarting 5G Fund Effort, But No Reverse Auction Date in Sight Yesterday the FCC restarted the stalled momentum behind its 5G Fund, a program it began three years ago to expand mobile broadband coverage into unserved rural areas. It adopted rules in 2020 but decided not to set a date for reverse auctions to distribute funds until it had finished developing a mo...

USTelecom recently released its 2022 Broadband Capex Report finding that broadband providers invested $102.4 billion in construction of broadband connections last year. That was the highest expenditure since 2001, according to the report. The association collected data from major carriers, but not from small telcos, electric co-ops, or satellite providers. The report estimates those entities would amount to “no less than $2 billion” in additional capex. https://rb.gy/4wwl5

Tim Bryan Shares Views on Current Broadband Environment on LiveOak Fiber Podcast NRTC CEO Tim Bryan was a recent guest on “The Fiber,” a podcast produced by LiveOak Fiber, which provides broadband in rural Florida and Georgia. He described an evolving competitive environment where broadband providers in urban areas are pushing fiber deeper into their networks, while many rur...

NRTC Adds Pivot Proficiencies to Build Rural Connections NRTC has acquired The Pivot Group LLC, known as broadband’s leading marketing and customer experience agency. With nearly 20 years of experience providing marketing research and strategy, branding, web development and other services to rural clients, Pivot’s goals and talents fit well with NRTC....

Nationwide, several large ISPs have been able to maintain a competitive position in the home broadband market by bundling mobile phone/data service. NRTC Mobile Solutions introduced an offer earlier this year to allow rural internet providers to offer similar broadband/mobile combinations. It will be one of the featured topics NRTC promotes in Boston during the upcoming NTCA Fall Conference, Sept. 24-27.

Curtis Knobloch, president, Mobile Solutions, will be a featured speaker during a Fall Conference session titled, “Integrating Mobile Wireless into a Suite of Services to Prevent Competitors from Poaching Your Customers,” at 3 p.m. on Sept. 24. NRTC members will be able to combine their existing broadband service with all the benefits of NRTC MVNO service, including nationwide coverage, access to 5G smart phones and other devices and high-quality back-office systems.

Also, during the Fall Conference, look for Teresa Ferguson, NRTC’s senior director, Broadband and Infrastructure Funding, who will be a panelist at the session “BEAD, ReConnect, the FCC Maps — What Directors Should Know.” The session is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. on Sept. 26.

Co-ops Prepare for Sept. 15 New ERA Letter of Intent Deadline With the Sept. 15 deadline for letters of intent (LOI) to participate in USDA’s New ERA program nearing, many electric cooperatives are deciding which details to include in their submissions. NRTC and NRTC partner ENGIE are among many organizations offering assistance with LOI composition to impro...

Member Survey Shows NRTC Progress Across the Board According to the 2023 NRTC Member Survey 83 percent of respondents agree that NRTC “has the members' best interests in mind,” an increase from 79 percent in a 2020 survey. Member responses improved for all categories covered in the survey. Electric co-op respondents also said they are most inter...

Inflation, COVID Prompts RDOF Winners to Seek Supplemental Funding Some winners in the FCC’s 2020 RDOF reverse auction are petitioning the FCC for supplemental funding. They claim that dollar amounts for broadband construction projects set in 2020 are inadequate after the economic effects of inflation, supply chain problems and the COVID-19 pandemic. However, FCC...

NTCA/FBA Rolling Out Version 3 of Broadband Playbook In coming months, NTCA-the Rural Broadband Association and the Fiber Broadband Association are rolling out version 3 of its Broadband Infrastructure Playbook with important updates covering Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) developments. An early module covers the concept of Extremely H...

For electric cooperatives with questions about drafting Letters of Interest for USDA’s Empowering Rural America (New ERA) program, NRTC partner ENGIE is hosting a webinar, “USDA New ERA: Submission Tips & PPA Structuring,” at 2 p.m. Eastern Time on Thursday, Aug. 17. Especially for those considering Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs), registration is now open. https://rb.gy/wsp9r

Ericsson, NRTC and West Kentucky RECC Advance Smart Grid Wireless NRTC has been working with Ericsson to develop private Long Term Evolution (LTE) networks to assist rural electric cooperatives deploying smart grid technologies. Ericsson has published a case study of a trial private LTE network at West Kentucky Rural Electric Cooperative Corp. The trial deployment...

State Broadband Offices Prepare Next Steps Following BEAD Allocations Soon after the federal government announced the state allocations for broadband deployment under the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program, the FCC’s Precision Ag Task Force invited representatives from two state broadband offices to share their perspectives. Jessica Simmons of t...

RE Magazine Insert Highlights Co-op’s Broadband Funding Success The economics of broadband construction in south central Missouri did not look good, but member demand spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic convinced White River Valley Electric Cooperative’s board to vote unanimously for a broadband plan. Fortunately, Missouri Broadband Infrastructure Grant Program a...

Teresa Ferguson, NRTC senior director, Broadband and Infrastructure Funding, (pictured left) led a panel session on broadband funding at this week’s NTCA Tax, Finance + Accounting Conference in Portland, OR. Ferguson discussed two NRTC members’ successful applications for funding with Cassie Cunningham (pictured center), VP and chief growth officer for White River Valley Electric Cooperative (WRVEC) and, Lisa Prachar, VP and CFO for East Central Energy (ECE). The state of Missouri awarded WRVEC $47 million to fund broadband construction in seven counties; the Minnesota Border-to-Border Broadband Development Grant program awarded ECE $14 million in grants to serve 7,300 locations. NTCA conference agenda also included NRECA’s Brian O'Hara and NRTC’s Ted Solomon talking about the organizations’ joint Rural Electric Cooperative Broadband Benchmarking Report 2022 refresh.

NRTC is exploring the ways that artificial intelligence (AI) potentially benefits rural electric and telephone companies complete their daily tasks. In the finale to NRTC’s TechTalk video series, “AI Applications for Rural Providers,” Chris Beatson, CTO and VP, Engineering, for NRTC Broadband Solutions envisions AI relieving rural providers of some of repetitive daily task. “I think AI and machine learning will help people be more efficient in what they do. … whether it’s creating a PowerPoint presentation or composing an email to the boss … AI can be used to quickly generate a template. You then can give more thought about what you’re putting on the page,” Beatson said. https://rb.gy/eok6s

FCC Launches Effort to Upgrade Rural Telco Internet Connections The FCC has released a combination Report & Order/Rulemaking/Notice of Inquiry to begin an overhaul of the universal service high-cost fund in support of rural broadband. In coming years, many rural telcos will work with an “Enhanced” A-CAM program to upgrade their networks to 100/20 Mbps speeds...

The topic last week at the Alabama Rural Electric Association (AREA) meeting in Point Clear, AL, was developing smart grid technology road maps … both how to do it and why it is a benefit to electric cooperatives. Joe Walsh, NRTC’s VP, Smart Grid Advisory and Networks, described why utilities facing increasing demand for energy, renewable energy technology integration, the emergence of faster communications technologies and other factors, need planning. He advised attendees to “think holistically” by finding those out of a long list of smart grid use cases and determine which will offer the greatest value; then build the highest priorities into a long-term plan. Start a plan early, Walsh said, and be realistic about the time it will take to implement. Then, be ready to update your plan … “rinse and repeat.” Contact us for more information about smart grid planning. https://www.nrtc.coop/contact/

“Looking at [electricity] storage today …. It has arrived. For years we’ve been talking about storage and early adopters, but now the opportunity is available for co-ops,” says Milton Geiger, VP, Smart Grid Solutions, in the latest NRTC TechTalk video, “The Storage Hype Becomes Reality.” There are growing deployments, which are proving to be reliable, and the prices are coming down. Geiger advises utilities to ask themselves, “What problem are you trying to solve? What opportunity are you trying to create?" After stepping back and evaluating, co-ops can decide what the value of storage will be for them. https://rb.gy/axdgn

NRTC Regional Business Manager Mark Davis was on hand last week to speak to the Association of Illinois Electric Cooperatives' Summer Managers' Association Meeting in Springfield. He provided an update on NRTC’s activities around funding and long-term planning for advanced technologies. Electric cooperatives nationwide are following the latest developments in their states regarding available funding for broadband networks and smart grid systems. NRTC assists its members in seeking funding, designing networks, making long-term logistical decisions, constructing and operating and networks. Contact us for more information. https://www.nrtc.coop/contact/

AI Optimists at FCC Hope to Transform Spectrum Management Among the many roles future artificial intelligence tools potentially fill is to help the FCC manage wireless resources. There is increased demand for wireless connections, both fixed and mobile, throughout the nation. AI’s ability to collect and process data and then make rapid decisions, opens t...

Current supply chain issues have improved compared to two years ago, says David Primmer, VP of Vendor and Supply Chain Management in NRTC TechTalk video, “Supply Chain: Advice for the Road Ahead.” The effects of COVID-19 have quieted, and suppliers have adjusted to problems caused by the war in Ukraine. “My advice to any member planning a broadband project is, ‘Plan ahead,’” he says. “Not just to obtain your funding but think about the entire project.” Careful planning can save millions of dollars over the course of a project and head off delays in links of the chain. NRTC helps its members develop those plans. https://rb.gy/1wgoz

The Biden Administration announced the next stage in the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program. The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has allocated the program’s $42 billion into dollar amounts to states and territories to distribute to broadband projects. State governments will now work with NTIA, local governments and internet providers with the goal of 100 percent internet connectivity by 2030. https://hubs.li/Q01W3fTF0

Broadband funding is the top of the news in communications this week with the announcement of state allocations for the $42 billion Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program. In an NRTC TechTalk video, Teresa Ferguson, senior director, Broadband and Infrastructure Funding advises that members do not have to worry that the available grant money for broadband projects is drying up. There is still ample time to plan applications for BEAD and other broadband construction programs. “We talk a lot about being grant-ready for these programs and there are some specific things [NRTC members] can think about right now,” she says, such as building relationships with stakeholders in the community. Watch it here: https://hubs.li/Q01W3dNh0