Broadband Beat – Page 2 of 174 – Thoughts & Perspectives from Shirley Bloomfield

NTCA Members Banding Together To Face Down Cyber-Threats

July 15, 2019 Shirley Bloomfield Comments 0 Comment

When you have someone with Jesse Ward’s capabilities on the cyber front…you simply share her own words on NTCA’s latest initiative on the cyber front on behalf of small operators. And so, I am. By Jesse Ward, Director of Industry and Policy Analysis, NTCA-The Rural Broadband Association As you may recall, NTCA recently announced that it is exploring the creation of a new Cyber-Threat Information Sharing Forum for Small Network Operators. A group of 44 small, facilities-based, small operators volunteered…

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NTCA Rural Broadband Women Hit The Policy Trail

July 12, 2019 Shirley Bloomfield Comments 0 Comment

It was so fun hosting our (now) third annual Women in Telecommunications fly-in to Washington DC this past week with 28 women from NTCA member providers coming to Washington DC to talk policy with women policymakers in our nation’s capital. I was impressed at how many of our female executives were game to come out to DC during the hottest and most humid month of the year but I do think that “big hair” aside, everyone found the trip to…

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A New Generation of American Heroes Under Title IX

July 8, 2019 Shirley Bloomfield Comments 0 Comment

Title IX, of the Education Amendments Act of 1972 was a revolutionary federal law that declared that “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.” As a school girl in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin at that time, I was an early beneficiary from this law and always had the opportunity to…

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It’s All About The Fiber. #FiberFast

July 7, 2019 Shirley Bloomfield Comments 0 Comment

On the heels of our co-hosting a recent event up on Capitol Hill – FiberFast – touting the future-proofed value of fiber construction and networks, I came across some interesting industry statistics from the Leichtman Research Group. Their analysis showed that AT&T added a relatively small number of broadband customers – net- in the first quarter of 2019. But for the same first quarter of the year, AT&T shared that they also added almost 300,000 fiber customers. Those numbers meant…

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The Partnership Drumbeat Continues

July 2, 2019 Shirley Bloomfield Comments 0 Comment

I’m sitting in New York City’s frantic and lively Penn Station two days before the city’s landmark Independence Day celebration watching travelers looking to make a “great escape” after spending the day with CFC at their annual Forum up here in the Big Apple. I am forever grateful to CFC/RTFC CEO Sheldon Petersen and his continued efforts to find collaboration and lines of commonality between his telco and electric utility borrowers and giving me a slot on this year’s Forum…

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Why I’m Bullish on Our Future

June 28, 2019 Shirley Bloomfield Comments 0 Comment

We may have daily concerns on the national security front but I had the opportunity this week to witness some future national leaders that made me excited about the next generation that is interested in getting into public service for our country. I was invited by an organization called Lead for America to come address their trainees before they headed off for two year assignments back in into their local communities. I had never heard of this program and while…

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Happy 100th Birthday GTA

June 25, 2019 Shirley Bloomfield Comments 0 Comment

It’s not every day that a state association turns 100 years old – so given my usual tact and appreciation for protocol – I invited myself to the Georgia Telecom Association’s 100th anniversary celebration! There was a terrific turnout for the meeting, hosted by GTA President John Scott, CEO of Bullock Telephone Cooperative and Adam Wise, the Executive Director for GTA, with representatives from 22 Georgia companies present and accounted for. Think about 100 years in the context of the…

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Taking a Rural Broadband Discussion to the Top

June 19, 2019 Shirley Bloomfield Comments 0 Comment

About a month ago, Congressman James Clyburn, Majority Whip in the United States House of Representatives and proud South Carolinian, initiated a new Congressional task force focused on rural broadband. In my mind, you can never have enough task forces, committees or ad hoc groups in policy circles pondering this important topic. As soon as the task force was announced by Representative Clyburn, we requested the opportunity to meet with him to share our perspective and ideas on the tools,…

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Rolling Out Smart Rural Communities Across America…Next Stop, Your Community!

June 14, 2019 Shirley Bloomfield Comments 0 Comment

In 2013, NTCA launched our Smart Rural Community initiative to recognize NTCA members who have gone above and beyond in their support of community innovation. The work that rural broadband providers did in building their networks was key in fueling growth and services for those they serve and our Smart Rural Communities were a way to showcase how rural broadband networks made an entire community “smart”! It has also been a wonderful way to share the story with policymakers across…

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Much Accomplished in the Mountain Air

June 13, 2019 Shirley Bloomfield Comments 0 Comment

Nothing like a good (or even ok) cup of coffee after 3 days of leadership meetings on behalf of the association out in Utah this week! The Summer Business Conference for the association is always jam-packed with NTCA strategic thinking and board meetings, our GHP Trustees gathering, the FRS board coming together for committee and board meetings and the SMC board of directors doing one of their face-to-face meetings as well. A lot of association leadership in one place and…

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