CN CEO & Chairman shares insights on the future of broadband across rural America with RFD-TV
Editors Note: New information might have been released since the recording of this interview.
Tampa, Fla. (December 10, 2024) – Connected Nation’s (CN) CEO & Chairman Tom Ferree was recently interviewed by RFD-TV, where he shared his thoughts on the current broadband landscape and what the future may hold.
CN aims to close the Digital Divide by making high-speed internet available in rural areas, hosting digital literacy workshops and offering data and technical services.
CN will celebrate its 24th year of connecting communities through broadband in 2025.
Ferree said rural areas have the most barriers when it comes to broadband, which is why those locations need the most attention. “We understand rural. That’s where we’ve made a lot of our biggest gains.”
Ferree was asked to give insight on President-Elect Donald Trump’s pick for Secretary of Agriculture, former White House aide Brooke Rollins.
“We know she’s a very capable individual and one that understands rural America,” Ferree said. “She understands the value, she understands the challenges and now the opportunities that widespread deployment of broadband can mean for those communities, so we’re really excited about that.”
While an historic amount of funding was allocated for broadband two years ago through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, no benefits or broadband buildouts have been seen yet. Ferree says that there’s much more going on behind the scenes that will make widespread internet access possible in the near future.
“We want to make sure that we meet communities and individuals with this life-changing investment and infrastructure so that they fully harness and take full advantage of this incredible time for us in the National Broadband Plan,” Ferree said.
“There has been an extraordinary amount of time and planning gone into this to make sure that this investment is being steered to the right places, and that the protocols and procedures are in place … for citizens to see how the government is spending their money,” he added.