The telehealth wave is making its mark in rural communities as well. When you live two and three hours away from the nearest doctor or healthcare facility, telehealth can be a godsend. Matt Larsen, owner of 20-year-old Wireless ISP (WISP) Vistabeam in Nebraska, says you can’t just lay down some fiber and routers, and call this a broadband success. You need leading-edge applications as well. Rural areas often lack the human and tech resources necessary for broadband to thrive. So Vistabeam is designing Community Empowerment Centers to offer communities: private Telehealth Consultation rooms;full-time Digital Navigators and reception area;digital skills and telehealth training; andInventory Rooms with shared computing devices and equipment. Socia and Larsen will give our Gigabit Nation audience tips and recommendations you can use right away.

[Here are the complete interviews of Deb and Matt that were interrupted by a system crash] Two long-time broadband experts explain how to boost broadband adoption in their communities by integrating telehealth in their digital strategy. These are early pioneers of broadband-telehealth integration. first the trash is Chattanooga. This city was the first to have border-to-border gigabit service available to everyone. Now they're setting the pace with telehealth. 1,000 free telehealth appointments are coming to one of the lowest income communities in Chattanooga, TN, plus home Internet access, new Chromebooks, and training. President and CEO Deb Socia of The Enterprise Center discusses the city’s digital intervention that will help residents who are susceptible to high incidences of stroke, heart disease, diabetes, and asthma. Chattanooga’s public gigabit network plays a key role in the telehealth delivery.

Get more impact from your communities broadband planning, listen to tips for increasing Affordability Connectivity Program (ACP) adoption, and meet winners who are making a difference in their digital communities. Two digital justice warriors share with Gigabit Nation secrets of their success at getting residents connected to broadband, digital inclusion, and telehealth. Rebecca F. Kauma is Digital Equity & Inclusion Officer for the City of Long Beach, CA. She is having great success making sure that everyone has a voice in the needs assessments and planning activities. Elizabeth Ramirez is the Community Digital Navigator for ACP in Waukegan, IL. In the last 60 days she engaged 230 households. 33% completing enrollment, while another 34% are approved for ACP and choosing their ISP. Kauma uses a “collective impact approach” in which her team goes deep inside of communities, engages groups within communities, and once everyone is convened, Kauma ensures everyone has an equal voice. Ramirez and ConnectWaukegan do extensive data analysis of their outreach efforts, who they connect with, and measure time and money saved.  

Today’s Gigabit Nation helps you build winning partnerships for the long-haul.  Whether it’s a wireless infrastructure covering miles or digital inclusion projects involving anchors institutions, communities are best served by suppliers who view the relationship has a partnership not a “get it and go” transaction. What question has you stumped? How do you find partnerships that are right for your community? Ask the right questions from the beginning. How do you know if it’s time to “cut bait” and move on? Understand why a pilot project can be the best thing for communities and suppliers.  Are digital warriors for today are: JJ McGrath is CEO (“Chief Everything Officer”) of TekWav, a wireless ISP (WISP). He has has more than 20 years of experience in Information Technology. TexWav has deep roots in the community and operates under the philosophy of, offer the quality of a larger company and deliver personalized service and support of a locally-owned business. Diane Connery is Director of the Pottsboro Public Library and who’s motto is, “Opportunity Out of Adversity.” Connery raised grant money to build one of the first library telehealth centers. She and the community started a community garden, got cargo bicycles so patrons could get to the grocery store and started 100 individual garden beds. -------------------- Get info about telehealth deployservices that help save lives, reduce cost, and improve efficiency of public health.

Gigabit Nation today explores how broadband can impact the Black Rural South. 38% of African Americans in this area lack broadband because the barriers to the technology are significant and deserve attention. Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies’ recent report lays out opportunities and policy changes that can turned around these residents’ broadband situation. And as billions flow, urban communities should scope out the tech that drives healthcare delivery! Particularly exciting are telehealth,Internet of Things (IoT) and smart home automation platforms. These technologies can make a difference for the 14 million homes that lack Internet access and digital tools, 75% of which are African Americans and people of color. Today's digital equity warriors are: Dominique Harrison, PhD, the Director of Technology Policy at the Joint Center’s Technology Policy Program. She recently published “Affordability & Availability: Expanding Broadband In the Black Rural South”. Dr. Harrison details how broadband can increase economic, educational, and healthcare opportunities in these 152 rural counties with populations that are at least 35 percent Black. Brigitte Daniel CEO of Wilco Electronic Systems, had a family emergency and wasn't able to participate in today's interview . We are re-scheduling her for an interview in maybe 2-3 weeks.  -------------------- Get info about telehealth deployservices that help save lives, reduce cost, and improve efficiency of public health.

Today's episode salutes those communities that have taken the reins of their broadband or digital inclusion efforts! When leading local pols are disinterested or the state or federal governments are too restrictive, that’s when unofficial leaders rise up and lead successful projects. Here’s how you do it. And you don’t have to be Dr. “Bones” McCoy to launch winning telehealth in support of public effort either, but you do have to be good at developing partnerships that include competent healthcare talent. Libraries, barbershops, churches or other community organizations can lay the ground work for teams. Telehealth means more than just video chats with doctors. Today’s digital equity warriors are: Peter Caplan is Managing Consultant at the eHealth Systems & Solutions firm where he designs and manages telemedicine projects as well as conduct health IT and sustainable business planning for hospitals and physician group practices. Created a comprehensive telemedicine master plan for the Department of Internal Medicine at Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY A quarter of Detroit residents has no Internet through home computers, laptops or mobile devices. Joshua Edmonds is the City’s Director of Digital Inclusion and creator of Connect 313 – the city’s sustainable digital inclusion strategy to bridge the digital divide. Forbes, the FCC, Next Century Cities, and Government Technology have recognized Edmonds for his contributions. -------------------- Get info about telehealth deployservices that help save lives, reduce cost, and improve efficiency of public health.  

The pandemic displayed for us the genius of telehealth - but also its Achilles’ Heel. As millions of workers, students, and others went into lockdown, people everywhere from the comfort of their homes were able to see doctors. But over 14 million urban and 4 million rural homes have ZERO broadband and are left out of this digital miracle. The episode of Gigabit Nation explores strategies to ensure that these billions of dollars the federal government plans to spend on broadband are used smartly, equitably, and with better accountability. We’ll talk broadband planning, needs assessment, and accountability. And talk about genius, nothing says "pulse of a community" like laundromats! It’s a block party, gossip fest, kids’ playground and now, telehealth. Local libraries and volunteer groups are turning laundromats across the country into centers of learning and engagement. Today’s digital equity warriors are: Drew Clark's day job is telecom attorney at the CommLaw Group. But his a long-standing rep in the broadband world is: Editor and Publisher of Broadband Breakfast, a digital newsletter and a weekly Webinar. His on-point analysis is bringing us through this unprecedented government funding of broadband and digital technologies Katherine Trujillo is Director of Education and Deputy Director of Libraries without Borders, a nonprofit that develops unique library services into low-income communities. She creates pop-up library and digital literacy programs internationally. In the U.S., Ms Trujillo oversees the Wash & Learn program in laundromats. She served on the White House Domestic Policy Council. ----------------------- Get info about telehealth deployment services that help save lives, reduce cost, and improve efficiency of public health.  

Another $10 billion from the Treasury Department for broadband! But will urban broadband flourish as a result? It depends. Lobbying forces tend to swing to rural, so city leaders must insist on urban equity in government's broadband funding, and community stakeholders must keep local and state politicians' feet to the fire. This Gigabit Nation session explores ways to bring accountability into the broadband buildout processes. The 800-pound gorilla in the room is accountability in rural broadband funding. For nearly a decade $5 billion a year has been spent on rural broadband, but where's the beef!? More importantly, what can communities do to bring accountability for all of these billion of dollars in both rural and urban areas? Today's digital equity warriors are: Lori Sherwood is Director of Commercial & Market Development at Render Networks, and her managerial experience covers the both the client and the vendor side. Besides managing and facilitating broadband deployments, Ms Sherwood has also worked for county government as a broadband program director and cable administrator.         Dr. Christopher Ali is an Associate Professor in Department of Media Studies at the University of Virginia. Ali's latest book, Farm Fresh Broadband: The politics of rural connectivity, examines the complicated rural broadband policies in the U. S., and analyzes the politics surrounding these policies. -------------------- Get info about telehealth deployservices that help save lives, reduce cost, and improve efficiency of public health.

NTIA’s $285-million CMC pilot program provides grants to eligible Historically Black Colleges or Universities (HBCUs), Tribal Colleges or Universities (TCUs), and minority serving institutions (MSIs). NTIA is funding not only broadband for anchor institutions but digital programs that drive adoption (some agencies mostly fund network infrastructure). NTIA also is encouraging pilots to create 15-mile broadband umbrella around the institutions. Nationwide, broadband and telehealth deployments are only as good as the maps that guide them. LightBox create maps by combining granular location data with information from 2 billion Wi-Fi access points. Communities get a more detailed, accurate picture of broadband connectivity. Today’s digital equity warriors are: A graduate of HBCU undergrad and law schools, Scott Woods currently leads the Connecting Minority Communities (CMC) Pilot Program, and serves as a principal liaison between the CMC and BroadbandUSA program. Mr. Wood’s career of government service includes a 4-year stint at the US Department of Justice. At LightBox, Bill Price is responsible for providing government organizations with consulting services, valuable information, and data to plan and implement broadband programs. As a senior strategy analyst at the Georgia Technology Authority, Price was the lead architect and manager of the state’s broadband plan and mapping.  ---------------- Get info about telehealth services that help save lives, reduce cost, and improve efficiency of public health.

$65 billion for broadband! Mission accomplished? Not hardly! You can’t just throw money over the fence and declare victory over digital inequity. This session explores ways to make broadband legislation more effective for everyone, how to beat down anti-muni bills, and tactics for increasing community support. And should we expect even more federal money? Also, pay attention to essential infrastructure that comprises telehealth deployment. Telehealth kiosks are going to be critical when in come to deploying public health deep into communities, such as in libraries, K-12 schools, churches, public housing, even maybe laundromats. Today’s digital equity warriors are: Christopher Mitchell, a leading national expert on community networks and Internet access, is the Director of the Community Broadband Networks Initiative with the Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR). His MuniNetworks.org is a clearinghouse local government policies to improve Internet acces, and his interactive map tracks 600 community networks. Andrew Flynn is General Manager of TalkBox Booth, a leading privacy pod enclosures for business and home use. His team in the last year created a HIPPA-compliant telehealth kiosk to ensure privacy and comfort by those receiving healthcare and telehealth various of settings, including libraries, medical centers and other institutions.   ------------------   Call if you want services to help your community save lives, reduce cost, and improve efficiency of public health.

Currently there are 14 million people of color who cannot get telehealth while the FCC & USDA spends nearly $5 billion dollars/year to get telehealth & broadband for 4 million rural households.  Where is the parity in funding? Where is the justice?  Francella Ochillo, our guest today on Gigabit Nation talk show, is the Executive Director of the broadband  advocacy group Next Century Cities. She is definitely ready to fight the good fight for fast, affordable and reliable broadband access for all.  Ms Ochillo lays out in real terms the costs facing urban America if we don’t get parity in broadband spending. People are marching in the streets saying how important it is that Black people have an even playing field. Maybe they can detour for a few days to bring this message to Federal agencies that fund the good health of rural communities while missing the mark in their funding of urban health.