Rural Connect

NRTC offers Rural Connect as a place for its members and others interested to follow all topics related to communications technology and how it affects rural electric cooperatives and telecommunications providers. NRTC uses this blog to announce and discuss its products and services. NRTC posts all Rural Connect content on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, where you can use the blog to discuss technology, regulatory, legislative and business issues.

Aug 7, 2020

March of the Mid-band Spectrum Auctions Has Begun

by Randy Sukow

With one FCC auction for mid-band spectrum already in progress, the Commission yesterday set the schedule for more mid-band auctions through the early part of 2021. At its regular monthly meeting it approved the final bidding procedures for the C-band (3.7–3.98 GHz) auction, which begins on Dec. 8...

Aug 1, 2020

Co-ops Help Federal Agencies Meet Energy Efficiency Requirements

by Randy Sukow

Over the years, the government, through acts of Congress and executive orders, has placed energy efficiency requirements on various federal sites across the country, especially military bases. Government buildings and installations are under directions to conserve energy and at the same time look fo...

Jul 28, 2020

RE Magazine Elevates Innovative Fiber Projects

by Randy Sukow

NRTC members are prominent in RE Magazine’s August issue. The magazine gave companies supporting rural electrics’ broadband projects a chance to publish case studies. NRTC proudly offered for publication South Central Indiana Rural Electric Membership Corp.’s (SCI REMC) fiber-to-the-home (FTTH...

Jul 23, 2020

Walk in the Park Will Be an Online Experience in This Rural Town

by Randy Sukow

The town of Canby, OR, is preparing for a celebration. Residents will soon be enjoying free Wi-Fi access in three of the town’s public parks. The city and its local telephone/internet cooperative, DirectLink, will hold a ribbon cutting for the new service on Wednesday afternoon, Aug. 5. “These ...

Jul 23, 2020

Grand Farm Provides a Testbed for Advanced Rural Connectivity

by Randy Sukow

When spokesmen for the Grand Farm talk about their goals, they use phrases like “fully autonomous farming,” “smaller tractors” and the “hands-free farm.” They have a vision of technology creating a more efficient form of agriculture that will feed billions in coming decades, improve safe...

Jul 18, 2020

Mapping Order Adjusts Buffer for Fiber Networks

by Randy Sukow

Late yesterday, the FCC released the text of its Second Report and Order on broadband mapping data. The order takes the country a step closer in the years-long process of determining where broadband is in rural America and where it is not. Of more immediate concern, however, the order corrects a pro...

Jul 17, 2020

Broadcast Internet Could Become a Rural Mid-band Option

by Randy Sukow

The FCC this week published a “Declaratory Ruling” confirming that broadcast TV stations may lease part of their spectrum capacity to third-party entities for the purpose of fixed wireless internet service. The ability to segment portions of the standard 6 MHz TV channel for datacasting (known a...

Jul 16, 2020

4-County Virtual Kick-off Launches AMI Innovation Project

by Randy Sukow

The technical staffs of NRTC and 4-County Electric Power Association, Columbus, MS, got together recently to begin a multi-year project to build an innovative advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) network based on Itron Gen5 technology. It is traditional to hold a such a gathering for major project...

Jul 9, 2020

Mapping Initiative Could Put Costly Burden on Rural Broadband Providers

by Randy Sukow

All parties connected to the broadband business in the United States agree that current estimates of broadband coverage based on FCC Form 477 data are inadequate. However, NTCA, The Rural Broadband Association and other organizations say that one of the steps the Commission is taking to produce more...

Jul 8, 2020

Why American Networks Were Better Prepared for Internet Traffic Surge

by Randy Sukow

Broadband networks in the United States have gotten high marks for maintaining performance during the COVID-19 crisis. Even as millions worked from home, relying on broadband networks to keep them connected to the world, fiber-based networks did especially well and met the challenge. In an interview...

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