Smart technologies are igniting rural economic development, improving health care and education, and improving farming and ranching production. The Global City Teams Challenge (GCTC) Agriculture and Rural Broadband SuperCluster encourages collaboration on innovative agricultural technology and rural projects and released a blueprint for rural communities in July.

NTIA’s BroadbandUSA was joined by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to host Rural Broadband Workshops in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico on November 13^th, Albuquerque, New Mexico on November 14^th, and Little Rock, Arkansas on December 9^th.

A digitally skilled workforce is essential for the economic development of our nation’s communities. The BroadbandUSA November 20, 2019 webinar, “Building Digital Workforce Skills at the Local Level,” showcased initiatives in Seattle, Omaha and rural Mississippi that help individuals develop technology skills, such as basic digital literacy, STEM and coding, needed for a digital economy.

NTIA’s BroadbandUSA joined with the U.S.

In 2019, the Trump Administration launched the American Broadband Initiative (ABI) with the release of the Milestones Report.  A year later, federal agencies have made significant progress across government to improve broadband access for Americans.

The majority of states across the country are increasing resources devoted to broadband deployment, supporting digital inclusion initiatives and focusing their attention towards broadband policy coordination across different state agencies. While there is no one size fits all, states are implementing innovative approaches to increase broadband access and adoption.