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Category: Foundation for Rural Service

Digital Challenges

Digital Challenges

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One of my very, very favorite initiatives of our Foundation for Rural Service  (FRS) has been our newly-launched Rural Youth App Challenge. The FRS is excited to announce the second annual app challenge which really speaks to rural youth about the importance of serving and improving the rural communities where they live—through technology that NTCA members provide. I am here to help spread the word! What is the challenge? Finding a venue for students to develop a concept for a…

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FRS Launches Fabulous Rural Youth App Challenge – Winners Announced!

FRS Launches Fabulous Rural Youth App Challenge – Winners Announced!

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The Foundation for Rural Service (FRS) has a number of tools in its toolkit focused on improving the quality of life in America by advancing an understanding of rural issues and engaging many of the impacted communities in this quest. There are so very many tools that FRS staff use to achieve their mission but I am particularly excited about their most recent effort to launch an inaugural Rural Youth App Challenge which asks students to develop concepts for mobile…

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What Gets Measured In a Cyber Economy?

What Gets Measured In a Cyber Economy?

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And what is the transactional value of the internet in Rural America?  Both of which are critical questions that the Foundation for Rural Service attempts to answer with their recently released study looking to measure those key factors and others that impact our economy. Obviously, every day consumers use the Internet for a ton of reasons – social media, commerce, entertainment, shopping, banking and the list goes on.  FRS worked with iGR to seek some insights into a few key…

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Rural Youth App Challenge from FRS Unleashed!

Rural Youth App Challenge from FRS Unleashed!

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 Years ago, when I worked for Verizon, I always found it intriguing how much the senior executives in the corporation looked forward to heading out to California to “hang out” with app developers and picking some great creative minds.  I can recall one time when I had the opportunity to participate in a briefing for Lowell McAdam (now Verizon’s CEO), was struck by his enthusiasm for the app developers contest and immediately downloaded all of the apps he noted as…

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Foundation for Rural Service Awards Grants for Improving Quality of Life in Rural Communities

Foundation for Rural Service Awards Grants for Improving Quality of Life in Rural Communities

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The Foundation for Rural Service, FRS as it is affectionately known in the NTCA community, recently named the recipients of its 2017 grants in support of advancing quality of life and enabling economic development in rural America. The winning projects will help rural communities overcome challenges related to access to technology, improving educational offerings, combating opioid addiction and providing telemedicine and first response emergency services to rural areas. All of the projects are endorsed by rural broadband companies that are…

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Telehealth Focus Yields Great Discussion

Telehealth Focus Yields Great Discussion

Senator Capito from West Virginia may have “been in the dark” in our ballroom today over at the Westin as we—and the Foundation for Rural Service as well as our Smart Rural Community program—hosted a session on telehealth, “Rural Health at a Digital Crossroads: Improving Care With Telehealth” at the conclusion of our TEPS conference. Her remarks were really filled with “the light” of how to elevate the technology and streamline the process to create new opportunities for rural communities….

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Go West with FRS

Go West with FRS

I can’t wait for fun pictures to post later this week as our fabulous Foundation for Rural Service sets off for the wilds of Wyoming with 19 congressional staffers in tow to see firsthand the challenges of providing high-speed access to rural Americans and the amazing job NTCA members do working through those challenges. I’m not going to lie—I was a little nervous for Jessica Golden, FRS’s executive director, as she enthusiastically agreed to expand the trip size due to…

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A Device Generation

A Device Generation

I really cherish my weekend routine of slowing down a little bit. We have a great pattern in our house these days. Don gets up early with the dog to let her out, then crawls back into bed with me so we can snooze a little bit more. (The part about Don being the one to get up early might be the best part of the pattern!) I then throw on the sweats, walk the dog on a “longer than…

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Broadband 101

Broadband 101

It’s easy to assume that people and entities that care about broadband—and the powerful engine it can be for rural America —actually understand what broadband is and how the service is actually delivered, particularly in rural markets. That was why I thought it was terrific that our NTCA team hosted a “Broadband 101” (for non-engineers!) today in our office. Kelly Wismer, who heads up our third-party outreach, along with Jessica Golden, our executive director for the Foundation for Rural Service, gathered…

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Foundation for Rural Service Charging Forward

Foundation for Rural Service Charging Forward

Monday. The infamous day of many internal meetings. Maybe it was because the sun had peeked out of the clouds for the first time in a week. Or, maybe it was because everyone had had their morning coffee (and maybe were on cup #2?), but there was a lot of energy in the air surrounding our entire FRS team this morning. Executive Director Jessica Golden shared with our senior management that FRS has just announced $150,000 in scholarships that are…

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