NTCA – The Rural Broadband Association has an initiative — known as Smart Rural Community — that promotes rural broadband networks and related applications. The program encourages rural areas to use broadband to foster economic development, commerce, education, health care, government services, public safety and security, and efficient energy use. The program is based on the understanding that communities across the U.S. must be able to compete in a global marketplace, and that rural communities are often at a disadvantage in that they typically have less access to the tools and technologies that make it possible.

What makes a rural community “smart”? A truly smart community relies not only on technology, but also on the people who adopt and employ broadband-related services. According to NTCA, “A smart rural community should strive to create next-generation applications and platforms.” The organization offers several examples of outcomes that can be gained through use of broadband:

• Customized learning environments for students, including interactive and collaborative components
• A dynamic health care infrastructure capable of supporting such applications as electronic scheduling and patient monitoring
• Precision farming tools such as real-time weather reports and other helpful information that enable them to make better decisions
• Platforms for connecting citizens with local, state, and federal government resources
• A next-generation 911 system that allows first responders to communicate efficiently during emergencies
• Modern utility networks that give users more information and control
• An energy-saving smart home network that enables appliances and devices to connect with each other

Broadband provides a foundation that makes all of these developments possible. NTCA notes, “New innovative applications are created when there is a technological platform in place.” A good broadband infrastructure should be capable of supporting the initiatives listed above, and have the capacity to continue doing so long into the future.

In 2015, Madison Communications was one of 12 rural communications firms in North America to be honored with the Smart Rural Community Award by NTCA –The Rural Broadband Association, which cited Madison Communications’ advanced communications services and collaboration with local leaders, businesses, and civic engagement as keys to its success. At a gathering of more than 1,000 leaders of rural telecommunications providers hosted by NTCA in Boston, MA, Madison Communications was honored with an award for deploying advanced technologies and leveraging those technologies to enable innovation in the areas of economic development and commerce, civic engagement, education, enhanced health care, public safety, and security.