“Think about electricity — we just turn it off and on. Broadband should be the same way.”
That’s what Heartland Forward’s Executive Vice President Angie Cooper told Telecompetitor in an interview last week. Heartland Forward describes itself as a “think and do tank” focused on 20 states it defines as the heartland: Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, and Wisconsin.
Cooper says Heartland Forward was formed with one question in mind: “How do we change the narrative about the middle of the country and promote economic growth?” The result is a four-pillar focus: (1) Innovation and Entrepreneurship, (2) Human Capital and Workforce Development, (3) Health and Wellness, and (4) Regional Economic Competitiveness.
The last pillar, Regional Economic Competitiveness, is the foundation of their Connecting the Heartland initiative, which — according to the Heartland Forward website — is an “initiative to boost internet availability, affordability, and adoption rates for participation in online services that are key to economic opportunity.”
According to Heartland Forward and Cooper, as its representative, access to broadband is the single most important economic issue facing the United States heartland today.
A Foundation of Availability, a Passion for Affordability and Adoptability
Heartland Forward was founded just before the COVID pandemic began, and as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law was being developed. “Because we’re focused on economic success in the middle of the country,” said Cooper, “we asked what is one thing that prevents a lot of communities and families from having the economic success they strive for? And that’s lack of access to affordable high-speed internet.”
As proof of the claim that access to broadband is a leading economic issue, Cooper cited a 2021 Deloitte study that found that “a 10-percentage-point increase of broadband penetration in 2016 would have resulted in more than 806,000 additional jobs in 2019, or an average annual increase of 269,000 jobs.”
While Heartland Forward’s focus was initially on the “three A’s” — availability, affordability, and adoptability — they have, more recently, focused on affordability and adoptability.
“We work at all levels, with federal and national partners,” said Cooper, “but our sweet spot is the ground game — being a trusted resource at the local level.”
As an example, she told a story from the pandemic: When the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) launched the Emergency Broadband Benefit (EBB) during COVID, the FCC’s advice to consumers was to learn about the benefit online. But, for people who didn’t have access to broadband, that wasn’t a viable solution.
So, Heartland Forward ran radio ads, put up billboards and flyers, and partnered with local organizations to educate the public about the EBB. They trained librarians in more than 500 libraries so they could share information about the EBB with families who might be eligible for it.
“Through those programs,” said Cooper, “we were able to connect more than 128,000 people to the EBB by getting the information into their hands in a trusted and accessible way.”
On the adoptability front, Heartland Forward defines “digital skills” as everything from knowing who one’s provider is when one moves, to training schoolteachers how to use computers, to teaching senior citizens about online opportunities.
In partnership with the Public Library Association, Heartland Forward developed a nationwide module called “Getting Started with Telehealth.” The 39-minute online training — available for free online — answers common questions about using telehealth, like: Should I use a laptop or a phone? What kind of speeds do I need for a telehealth visit? How do I communicate with my provider?
Engaging Broadband Providers
When asked how Heartland Forward engages with broadband providers, Cooper said that, at a high level, the organization has partnered with NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association on issues related to affordability and adoptability.
But Heartland Forward is also working directly with broadband providers in interesting ways. One unique initiative is the Connecting the Heartland Broadband Jobs Board. This website — currently launched in Arkansas, with a Louisiana dashboard coming next — is a joint venture among the state broadband offices, community colleges, K-12 schools, broadband providers, and Heartland Forward.
The jobs board connects providers, training institutions, and potential employees with information about available broadband jobs and the training needed to qualify for them. The initiative is part of a nationwide push to train the broadband workforce. The jobs board aims to speed up the timeline to get workers trained and ready for broadband sector jobs.
“Any provider who is interested — in those two states or beyond, across the heartland — and thinks this would be a good resource for them, we would love to talk,” said Cooper.
The Opportunities of AI
Heartland Forward has an optimistic outlook on artificial intelligence (AI), as evidenced by the title of their new report released the week before last: “Artificial Intelligence Presents New Opportunities for Heartland States.”
“AI tools could also help close some of the experience and skills gap for workers in the heartland — a process known as upskilling,” the report says. “They can provide individualized training, as well as enhance the performance of lower-skilled workers.”
Cooper said the organization is trying to ask the right questions about AI now, specifically around how the workforce adjusts to AI and what it means for career pathways, before AI begins impacting work in negative ways.
From 2019 to 2023, she stated, there were around 30 bills introduced in state legislatures about AI, but there have been more than 500 already in 2024. “So we’re convening ‘salon dinners’ across the heartland, bringing together policymakers, investors, and business and industry leaders to say okay, this is right in front of us… how do we deal with this situation?”
The goal, after these salon-style meetings, is to present a call to action regarding AI at the Heartland Summit in May 2025.
