San Francisco, Calif. (September 22, 2014)—NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association, the premier national association representing nearly 900 independent, community-based telecommunications companies, today recognized 13 communities in rural areas of the United States and Canada that have earned the title Smart Rural Community Showcase Award winners as part of the association’s initiative to highlight efforts that make rural hometowns vibrant places in which to live and do business.
The goal of the NTCA Smart Rural Community initiative is to foster the development of smart communities throughout rural America and Canada by recognizing innovators, highlighting innovative implementation of broadband solutions and identifying resources to assist other broadband providers and connected industries. NTCA recognized and awarded communities served by its members that embody the title Smart Rural Community by promoting access to next-generation applications and platforms such as distance learning, telehealth services, public safety and security.
The following broadband providers received international recognition:
- Copper Valley Telecom (Valdez, Alaska)
- Consolidated Telecommunications (Brainerd, Minn.)
- FTC (Kingstree, S.C.)
- HuronTel (Ripley, Ontario)
- North Central Telephone Cooperative (Lafayette, Tenn.)
- Premier Communications (Sioux Center, Iowa)
- Peoples Rural Telephone Cooperative (McKee, Ky.)
- Solarus (Wisconsin Rapids, Wis.)
- Triangle Communications (Havre, Mont.)
- Tri-County Communications Cooperative (Strum, Wis.)
- Twin Valley Telephone Co. (Miltonvale, Kan.)
- Vernon Telephone Cooperative (Westby, Wis.)
- Waitsfield and Champlain Valley Telecom (Waitsfield, Vt.)
NTCA Smart Rural Community award recipients were recognized at a gathering of more than 1,000 rural telecom leaders in San Francisco. In addition to receiving international and local recognition for their extraordinary efforts, the selected Smart Rural Communities will join recipients of prior year awards to formulate “best practices” and assist other rural communities in the implementation of innovative broadband-enabled solutions to drive economic and community strength in rural areas throughout the nation.
For more information about the initiative, visit www.ntca.org/smart.
