The connection is coming. The question is whether we’re ready.

By Tom Ferree, Chairman & CEO, Connected Nation

The wait is finally over: with nearly $20 billion in federal funding flowing to states, millions of people will get the connectivity they need. From education to healthcare, the ripple effects on our economy and daily lives will be monumental. But there’s a catch.

This investment only delivers for communities that are prepared to meet it. 

For 25 years, Connected Nation (CN) has worked to empower people with the tools needed to thrive in a digital world.  Our job is to show up, share what we know, and help communities turn knowledge into actionable steps.

Everything we do is grounded in data – from mapping broadband availability and adoption to measuring the barriers that keep people offline. We’ve done this through listening tours, research, and on-the-ground engagements.

Over the past year, we visited some of America’s most underserved communities — from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula to far West Texas. We went to educate and to listen. We shared information about emerging technologies, broadband policy, and what a layered connectivity strategy can do for areas left behind by legacy infrastructure.

This is what community leaders want you to know.

The eligible technologies covered by the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program were expanded last year to include fiber, fixed wireless, and satellite solutions. That shift reflects a practical reality: no single technology will reach every community.

It’s not a policy abstraction. For many, the change signals the difference between a connected future and another decade of waiting, a delay they simply cannot afford.

In Amarillo, Texas, farmers and healthcare providers told us connectivity is critical for modern agriculture and rural medicine. Precision farming, remote patient monitoring, telehealth, and AI-enabled tools aren’t futuristic concepts. They are tools people need right now, not someday.

In Lawton, Oklahoma, we saw a STEM makerspace taking shape inside an innovation park, alongside a public library offering 3D printing, telehealth booths, and digital literacy classes. Just down the road, in Okmulgee, the College of the Muscogee Nation and OSU Institute of Technology are building a local workforce pipeline.

And in Hessel, Michigan, community and Tribal leaders are defining their digital aspirations: better healthcare, stronger local economies, and more opportunity for children.

What made these conversations stand out was the preparation. Educators, healthcare leaders, Tribal governments, economic developers, and community organizations are aligned on what connectivity can unlock for them and are already asking what comes next.

That is what readiness looks like.

To scale community insight nationwide, CN hosted a virtual town hall. Stakeholders from Michigan, Oklahoma, and Texas were joined by state broadband offices, Tribal Nations, policymakers, and community practitioners from across the country. Each shared  priorities and pressures on the ground.

The specifics varied by geography, but the pattern did not. Communities are thinking holistically. They’re not just asking for infrastructure — they’re prioritizing affordability, skills, and devices and tackling these needs simultaneously as connectivity grows. It’s a challenge that requires a unified, partnership-first approach.

CN partnered with Amazon on our recent engagements. Amazon’s team shared information on low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite technology, helping communities understand how modern systems differ from legacy satellite services in terms of speed, latency, and reliability.

Amazon also donated eero devices to community members, which represent something larger than hardware. It demonstrates what’s possible when the private sector shows up and invests in what happens even after technology arrives.

Devices and infrastructure alone have never transformed a community.

History is full of examples of change arriving in places where skills, local leadership, and institutional support were missing. The result is always the same: opportunities that never fully materialize.

The communities we visited are determined to break that cycle. Policymakers, funders, leaders, and technology partners need to match that determination with a commitment that goes beyond deployment. The ecosystems we build around connectivity must include digital skills training, AI readiness, device access, strong anchor institutions, local leadership, and sustained investment. 

The connection is coming. Let’s make sure the opportunity comes with it. Everyone belongs in a Connected Nation.