NTCA Welcomes Farmers Mutual Telephone Company (FMTC) to National Network of Smart Rural Community Providers

Arlington, Va., (April 12, 2020) – Across the United States, rural, community-based broadband providers are serving small towns with robust broadband networks to support critical and innovative solutions for rural communities. These technological leaders are helping to build a nationwide network of Smart Rural Communities SM, where broadband connections are helping create a brighter future for rural America. Today, NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association is pleased to welcome FMTC into this nationwide network in recognition of the company’s important work in bringing broadband-enabled advances to rural America.

The Smart Rural CommunitiesSM program promotes collaborative work among rural broadband providers and other local leaders to develop broadband-enabled solutions for education, economic development, healthcare and more.  The Smart Rural Communities SM initiative celebrates the technological leadership of nearly 850 small, community-based rural broadband providers in NTCA’s membership.

“I am so proud of FMTC for rising to meet the challenge of providing exceptional service in rural America, where our member companies face low population density, geographic obstacles, regulatory hurdles and limited budgets,” said NTCA Chief Executive Officer Shirley Bloomfield. “NTCA’s Smart Rural Community Providers SM are leading by example and charting a course toward an even more vibrant, productive and community-oriented rural America.”

NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association is the premier association representing nearly 850 independent, community-based telecommunications companies that are leading innovation in rural and small-town America. In an era of transformative technological advancements, regulatory challenges and marketplace competition, NTCA members are leading the technological evolution for rural consumers, delivering robust and high-quality services over future-proof networks that make rural communities vibrant places in which to live and do business. Because of their efforts, rural America is fertile ground for innovation in economic development, e-commerce, health care, agriculture and education, and it contributes billions of dollars to the U.S. economy each year. Visit us at www.ntca.org.