WASHINGTON—Electric cooperatives in the broadband space urged support for federal programs to deliver reliable, high-speed internet in rural America at the fifth annual NRECA Broadband Leadership Summit.

The gathering, which took place June 1-3, came during an “inflection point” for national broadband initiatives, making co-ops’ voices even more valuable before Congress and federal agencies, NRECA Broadband Director Cliff Johnson said.

“There has never been a better time to be here right now, telling your stories to policymakers and making the case for continued investment in rural broadband,” Johnson said at the June 2 opening general session.

NRECA Broadband currently has 128 active participants across 31 states, representing a wide range of co-ops.

But “we all share a number of common issues, regardless of those differences,” NRECA CEO Jim Matheson said.

The NRECA Broadband program “is so needed and so necessary, but it’s only going to develop based on the active engagement of all of our members,” he said.

As co-ops headed to Capitol Hill during the summit, NRECA asked them to seek support for U.S. Department of Agriculture programs aimed at closing service gaps and strengthening rural broadband networks while lowering deployment costs.

The association also urged clear guidance and flexibility on the use of remaining funds under the $42.5 billion Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program, as well as an improved process to challenge national broadband maps that can identify priority areas for federal funding.

Federal perspectives

Co-ops heard from top lawmakers and agency officials on the state of broadband policy.

Rep. Richard Hudson, R-N.C., said he’s seeing “real dollars hitting the streets” from the BEAD program but acknowledged concerns around the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s pole attachment requirements for co-ops seeking BEAD funding.

“I think that will be important as you have your conversations [on Capitol Hill] that you talk about this with the other members and their staff,” said Hudson, who chairs the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Communications and Technology.

“It is important. We’ve got to figure out how to get that right.”

He also vowed to “keep working” on permitting reform and mapping improvements for broadband.

“I remain very positive that we can get this done this Congress,” Hudson said. “It’s just a matter of timing.”

The North Carolina lawmaker also said he’ll look at easing construction of broadband networks near railroads, with several co-ops at the summit noting the cost and permitting challenges of such projects.

Sen. Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M., co-chair of the bicameral and bipartisan Universal Service Fund Working Group, discussed efforts in Congress to modernize the USF.

The fund is a Federal Communications Commission program to ensure access to affordable communications and broadband services. Currently, the USF is funded through contributions from telecommunications providers, including voice phone carriers, but standalone broadband internet companies don’t contribute.

“It’s not sustainable,” Luján said. “Let’s modernize.”

FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez stressed the importance of internet affordability, a key issue for electric co-ops, which serve over 90% of persistent poverty counties in the country.

“I’m very much hopeful that Congress will adopt some kind of an affordable connectivity program that gets wrapped into our Lifeline program,” she said. “Something that is accessible to more subscribers and that will help them, especially during this affordability crisis that we have going on right now."

She also advocated for adequate minimum internet speeds when deciding federal funding awards and voiced support for scalable broadband technologies, including fiber networks that co-ops often deploy.

“If we are going to compete in the AI economy, I think we need scalable, high-capacity and low-latency networks, and that’s what fiber gives us,” Gomez said.

USDA Under Secretary for Rural Development Neal Robbins said the agency will release regulations soon for the sixth round of its ReConnect loan and grant program, which supports broadband projects in rural areas. In addition, the latest funding round for the Community Connect program is open through June 29, with a related webinar scheduled for June 17.

Robbins also said he anticipated faster review times for broadband projects getting USDA support after the department finalized new rules in early April under the National Environmental Policy Act.

“I want to make sure that our department is responsive to your questions,” he said. “We want to be available up front when you have a new project … Folks should leave our department feeling like we genuinely wanted to help, because we do.”

Co-op business conversations

The summit’s final day featured several panels on business issues for co-ops providing broadband.

One panel explored workforce issues, with the U.S. broadband industry estimated to need over 180,000 skilled fiber technicians, lineworkers and related construction workers in the coming years.

The panel, which included representatives of OzarksGo in Arkansas, Choptank Electric Cooperative in Maryland and Trico Electric Co-op in Arizona, endorsed working with partners such as community colleges, state broadband associations and local chambers of commerce to create broadband training programs.

They also want employees who are a good fit for co-ops.

“Culture is important as we bring people in and looking for people who are hungry to be in our culture,” Trico Electric Chief Financial Officer Chad Rupe said.

Rupe also mentioned the potential use of AI to support member service work and identify issues in members’ homes.

The summit ended with a look at how the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s public assistance program applies to co-ops restoring broadband after disasters.

Co-ops on the panel lamented the bureaucracy around obtaining FEMA aid, including extensive data collection requirements and delays in funding disbursements.

“It is imperative that we come together on mutual aid issues like our electric counterparts and face both labor and supply chain issues head on as well as seek FEMA reform which needs to happen,” said Scott Hendrix, CEO of Tombigbee Electric Power Association and Tombigbee Fiber LLC in Mississippi.

NRECA is working to advance legislation in Congress—the Fixing Emergency Management for Americans Act—that would reduce funding delays, reimburse co-ops for the interest they pay on disaster recovery loans, and expand access to resiliency funds, among other reforms.

“We really rely on you all for these [FEMA] stories, to help us understand who is getting reimbursed for their broadband or having challenges with that,” NRECA Legislative Affairs Director Will Mitchell said. “Your stories really do help shape things on Capitol Hill.”