FROM THE INDUSTRY
How are we going to move forward from this? And what’s the next step? Scott Neuman This was a national study covering every single county in every single state. First, we’re developing a very easy-to-use tool for our customers so they can get access to their community impact data, and leverage it as they work with their town managers and their chambers of commerce. Secondly, we’re now analysing the data, county by county, finding the next set of stories and case studies that we can highlight and celebrate. Amanda Weinstein Another finding from the study showed was that existing residents experienced the biggest benefits from superfast broadband in their communities. Broadband is now essential infrastructure. It’s how we buy, it’s how we sell, and how we coordinate our economic activities. A lot of communities know now that without this modern infrastructure, overcomng their economic past will be an uphill battle. The pandemic made people really see what was missing if they didn’t have broadband. It became very clear why they needed it. We also saw a mindset shift; people were increasingly exploring what they can do with broadband beyond Netflix, shopping and working from home to how this level of broadband access can support apartment buildings, local businesses, schools, parks and more. Paul Bunyan Communications even hosted an e-sports competition. Their mindset isn’t put off by being a rural BSP; they feel if Vegas has an e-sports competition, why can’t we have one here in Bemidji, Minnesota? And they organised it, and paired it with a tech expo. The result is over 4,000 people of all ages engaging and being involved in tech. Kids and parents alike. Scott Neuman Let’s discuss what happens when you reach out to these customers and share the data. Amanda Weinstein Gary Johnson at Paul Bunyan Communications was initially sceptical; he was obviously expecting bad news, but I told him Gary, your data is great. Your community is unusual compared to others - the impact you’re making is amazing. He clearly thought he was just doing what anyone else would be doing, but the data showed
him how outstanding his community is. Even modest growth in the number of businesses would be remarkable given national trends of decline. When you’re in the day-to-day, you don’t get that kind of 30,000-foot view that data gives you. It was very cool to provide these different broadband services with such positive market intelligence. For instance, since 2010, Beltrami County in Minnesota has seen the emergence of more than 120 new businesses. Scott Neuman We have two target audiences for this study. There is one group that is already over-delivering, and we want to share the good news with them as they may not be aware of the impact they’re making within their communities. And the other audience? The other audience will be inspired to emulate organisations like Paul Bunyan Communications. There is much more they could be doing with value-added services, different types of connectivity solutions that are purpose built to support multi- dwelling units, schools, small businesses and outdoor spaces not just the residential homes that they can connect. And when they see the possibility of what it could look like, it’s really inspiring. Hopefully this study will be a catalyst for that kind of thinking. Executed correctly, this study is arguably going to preserve the life of rural passionate about building opportunity in rural America, and this study is a critical piece in making sure that we’re able to change the narrative. Superfast broadband infrastructure is critically important to the well-being of rural communities and bringing the country back together again. That’s where there’s real opportunity. towns for generations. Matt Dunne Our organisation is Scott Neuman I can’t thank Matt and Amanda enough. There’s no way we could have done anything like this without them. It was the perfect yin-yang: the peanut butter and jelly, tea and crumpets pairing. It’s a partnership we’ve had for a while, and we’re going to continue to work together on this.
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Volume 47 No.1 MARCH 2025
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