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| NRTC Menu Careers Member LoginOur Members Making an Impact Membership Who We Serve Our Members Making an Impact Membership Who We Serve Our Solutions Planning Building Managing Broadband Feasibility Design Solutions Network Engineering Procurement Bundling (Mobile and Video) Mobile Back-office Systems Customizable Packages Devices Network Access Smart Grid AMI and Grid Communications Distributed Energy Resource Management System (DERMS) Microgrids and Resiliency Solar, Storage and Wind Technology Planning Volt-VAR Optimization Funding Available Funding Opportunities Federal Funding Programs Funding and Planning Alerts Managed Services Cybersecurity Network Services Subscriber Services Support Services Streaming Video Solutions Marketing Customer Experience Crush Your Goals Stand Out in Your Market Pivot CrowdFiber Start Today Marketing Essentials Toolkit MVEA on How NRTC’s Smart Grid Technology Planning Helped Guide the Future of Its Growing Cooperative Smart Grid Solutions | March 8, 2024 Learn More Our Solutions Broadband Feasibility Design Solutions Network Engineering Procurement Bundling (Mobile and Video) Mobile Back-office Systems Customizable Packages Devices Network Access Smart Grid AMI and Grid Communications Microgrids and Resiliency Technology Planning Solar, Storage and Wind Volt-VAR Optimization Funding Available Funding Opportunities Federal Funding Programs Funding and Planning Alerts Managed Services Network Services Subscriber Services Streaming Video Solutions Support Services Marketing Customer Experience Crush Your Goals Stand Out in Your Market Pivot CrowdFiber Start Today Marketing Essentials Toolkit Resources Featured Articles A Celebration of East Central Energy’s Broadband Ribbon Cutting Randy Sukow | March 6, 2024 RUS’s Berke: Funding Programs Provide a Look Into the Rural Electric Cooperative Future Randy Sukow | March 5, 2024 Be Ready for the Differences Between Broadband and Electric Network Builds Chris Martin | March 5, 2024 A Strategic Mix of Communications Technologies Enables Multiple Use Cases Randy Sukow | March 5, 2024 popular topics AI 24/7 Monitoring 5G Broadband Benchmarking Funding Smart Grid Solar RESOURCE TYPE Blog Member Stories News Videos Webinar Recordings SORT BY Title (A-Z) Title (Z-A) Date (Newest) Date (Oldest) TELECOMPETITOR Great Plains Expands Fiber Network to Additional Nebraska Communities Telecompetitor | May 10, 2024 Twin Valley Expands 8 Gbps Service to Another Kansas Market Telecompetitor | May 10, 2024 New Offering Targets TDM-to-Cloud Migration Telecompetitor | May 10, 2024 Totelcom on How Pivot Transformed the Telco’s Business, Culture and Customer Experience Pivot | March 8, 2024 Learn More Resources popular topics AI 5G 24/7 Monitoring Broadband Benchmarking Funding Smart Grid Solar RESOURCE TYPE Blog News Member Stories Videos Webinar Recordings SORT BY Title (A-Z) Title (Z-A) Date (Newest) Date (Oldest) Events Conference Webinar Webinar Recordings About Our Team Our Board Our History Allied Organizations Office Locations News Careers Contact Member Driven. Technology Focused. We help members deliver advanced technology solutions across rural America. Our solutions Broadband Managed services Smart grid Mobile broadband Evaluating, designing and building broadband networks to meet member needs We help you deliver fast, reliable broadband to all your customers—no matter how remote. From technology evaluation to business modeling, right through construction and daily operations, you get the right model for providing high-speed service. Let us worry about managing complicated back-office systems like cloud storage, email servers and security. Our team takes care of the technology while you take care of your customers. Learn more managed services Providing the tools and resources to maximize our members’ efficiency Operations, billing, and customer care are vital for success. Many of our members are jumping into telecommunications for the first time, and we understand just how much work it takes to prepare for and successfully operate telecommunications networks. There are a multitude of things a new operator must manage, and we are here to help. Leverage our expert personnel and leading-edge products and services so your team can focus on taking care of your customers, improving your network, and growing your business. learn more smart grid Building a reliable, efficient, next-generation power system in rural America With improved communication thanks to a faster flow of data with advanced metering infrastructures (AMI), you’ll know how and where your customers are using electricity. This knowledge reduces outages, gets power back online faster when outages do occur, and helps you run a more efficient utility. We can make life easier for everyone from the linemen in the field to technicians remotely monitoring systems to the manager planning deployment. Let us help you build the best network for your service territory, with demand management features, advanced analytics, and advanced, next-generation energy capabilities. learn more mobile Blazing fast data and voice service from coast to coast Our members provide advanced mobile service in many very remote parts of the nation. These rural providers are serving their communities efficiently and affordably without having to build a single mile of wireless infrastructure, providing their customers top-notch smartphone and tablet use. Our turnkey private label Mobile Virtual Network Operator makes this possible. And our experienced wireless team means you’ll also get excellent and flexible back-office support. learn more Resources The Latest News and Events Title II Regulation of the Internet Returns … Litigation Likely to Follow April 26, 2024 The FCC yesterday, as expected, adopted an order reclassifying internet service as a Title II telecommunications, making ISPs responsible for following a long list of new regulatory obligations. The Order passed by a partisan 3-2 vote. However, opponents of the order likely will file an appeal and many observers believe the order will be vulnerable to the major-questions doctrine.” NRTC-member ISPs could be affected by Title II changes involving universal service, rate regulation and others. Read More Nex-Tech Questions BDC Bulk Mobile Challenge Process April 25, 2024 In a letter to the FCC, NRTC member Nex-Tech Wireless shared the results of road trials of 5G connectivity in rural Kansas in response to the FCC’s investigation of the Broadband Data Collection (BDC) bulk challenge process. It found in a large majority of areas where national carriers claim to provide 5G service, connections fall below 7/1 Mbps speeds. However, bulk challenges to carrier claims have not resulted in changes to the Commission’s National Broadband Map. Other organizations made similar claims in comments to the FCC earlier this year. Read More Oklahoma Co-op Expands Broadband Operations With ARPA Assistance April 16, 2024 BOLT Fiber Optics, Northeast Oklahoma Electric Cooperative’s broadband service, announced plans to expand its current broadband footprint of 27,000 homes and businesses by 3,000 through more than $22 million in funding from the American Rescue Plan Act State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund. NRTC assisted BOLT in preparing the application for the funding. It will also assist BOLT with design, project management and construction management of the expansion project. Read More View More RUral Broadband Operations BENCHMARKING REPORT We asked rural ISPs about their marketing, customer service and other operational tasks In two earlier broadband benchmarking reports NRTC gathered the shared experiences of electric cooperatives deploying networks in rural areas to bridge gaps in connectivity throughout the nation. Our latest report surveys both telco and electric members about what it takes to maintain a successful broadband service to serve today’s rural consumers. NRTC members with this report offer...