Mountain Connect 2024: The Internet Equity Initiative and connecting the most remote, inhabited island in Michigan

On this episode of Connected Nation, we continue our coverage from Mountain Connect, taking place in Denver, Colorado.

We speak with an organization that's working in seven of the least connected states in the country. Plus, we talk with researchers from the University of Chicago about the Internet Equity Initiative AND get an update from MIHI office about connecting all Michiganders, even those who live in the most remote, inhabited island in the state.

Recommended Links:
Michigan High-speed Internet Office
Internet Equity Initiative
Communities Unlimited

Mountain Connect 2024 series
Opening episode
The Internet Equity Initiative and connecting the most remote, inhabited island in Michigan
The high-tech (and dangerous) broadband job that some say needs regulation now
Nokia's Network in a Box and the one thing most people get wrong about the company
Key partnerships, digital equity, and the Illinois Broadband Lab
BEAM's leadership on broadband expansion and accessibility across Mississippi
How BroadbandOhio is navigating BEAD

Chapters

• 0:00 Introduction
• 0:43 Catherine Krantz, Communities Unlimited, Area Director for Broadband joins
• 9:26 Alexis Schrubbe, PhD; Director, Internet Equity Initiative, University of Chicago joins
• 21:39 Jessica Randall, Infrastructure and Data Director at Michigan High-Speed Internet Office joins
• 32:00 Conclusion + Outro

Transcript

Jessica Denson (00:08):

On this episode of Connected Nation, we continue our coverage from Mountain Connect taking place in Denver, Colorado. On this episode, I speak with an organization that's working in seven states that they call the least connected in the country. Plus we talk with researchers from the University of Chicago about the Internet equity initiative and get an update from my high office about connecting all Michiganders, even those who live in the most remote inhabited island in the state. I'm Jessica Denson and this is Connected Nation.

Catherine Krantz, Communities Unlimited, Area Director for Broadband (00:43):

I am at Mountain Connect and it's the 10th anniversary for this conference, and I am standing with Catherine Kranz, who's with Communities Unlimited. She used to work with us at Connected Nation. I seem to run into you randomly. I think the last time we just talked was Woodlands in

Catherine Krantz, Communities Unlimited, Area Director for Broadband ( (00:59):

Texas. Yeah. It's always so great to see old friends and the broadband world brings a lot of friends together. It's like family. It

Catherine Krantz (01:05):

Really does. I do see similar faces, same faces, people that I've met, I'm like, oh, I've interviewed, talked to you. Your official title right now is Area Director for broadband. Talk a little bit about Communities Unlimited and what that role is that you have.

Catherine Krantz (01:18):

So Communities Unlimited is a national nonprofit community development organization. So we do infrastructure, technical assistance and planning to seven southern states, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee. And these are some of the states with some of the least connected communities in America. So the broadband challenge is real, and I was hired about two years ago to create a broadband program because the communities that Communities Unlimited works with had real needs for broadband. So we offer broadband technical assistance, broadband planning. We have a team of digital equity coordinators, technical assistance providers, and we work with some of the least connected, most challenged communities in America.

Jessica Denson (02:05):

So expand on that just a little bit. What are some of the one or two of the top challenges that you see when it comes to helping those groups of people?

 Catherine Krantz(02:16):

Well, one of the things that makes it hard for anyone, but especially small, rural, under-resourced communities is just keeping up with the deluge of information about broadband. What I tell my boss every day is that it's such a luxury to be able to work on broadband all day every day. And before I was a broadband planner, I was an economic development planner, municipal solid waste planner. I did a lot of different things, and keeping up with broadband was really hard when you weren't focused on it all day every day. And in the communities where we serve, they might have volunteer community leadership, the mayors might be a volunteer, they might have two or three other jobs. It is impossible for them to keep up with all the needs of their community and broadband. So I think the biggest challenge is education. So a big part of what we do is provide that resource for them. We are on top of broadband all day, every day. We are their go-to resource for information. And broadband is incredibly dynamic things, big dramatic things change every single day. So you really need that help.

Jessica Denson (03:19):

Yeah, I can't imagine being a politician and trying to understand broadband on top of everything else. So it is critical what groups like yours do. So what do you see in the future? Are you excited about this time? Is there a lot of good possibility or are there just a lot of challenges ahead, a combination thereof?

Catherine Krantz, Communities Unlimited, Area Director for Broadband ((03:38):

Well, broadband is a real rollercoaster. We got really discouraged when we saw the enormity of the challenge facing us to connect every American. And then we got really excited when we saw this unprecedented amount of funding go out. And then we got really discouraged when we realized how difficult it was going to be for the ISPs to meet the requirements of this funding. And then we got really excited when we saw it's a rollercoaster progress being made. And so it's just constant. And I would love to say that I think that this particular plan that we have coming out across America, the bead plan finance by the infrastructure Investment jobs Act 42 billion. I would love to say that that's going to solve the problem. And yay, we can be done in a few years, but we know that's not true. We know that infrastructure requires constant investment.

(04:24):

We know that the technology challenges and needs of the future will never be smaller than they are now. They're just going to get bigger and bigger, and we need to have educated policy makers that understand that it will require a constant, consistent investment. So it's never one and done. It's never over. So on the one hand, I am excited about the opportunity to reach every single American with connectivity, which is the goal of this program. But I also know that if policymakers think that the solution is easy and that it's going to be done, we are going to have a real uphill battle going forward.

Jessica Denson (05:02):

So it's really important to understand that the goalpost is maybe moving, we're doing making progress, but things change really with the technology too. If you don't have basic technology, there's already new technology that's coming out, right? Yeah. How are you handling it with advising some of these groups that you're helping?

Catherine Krantz (05:20):

Yeah. Well, a lot of people get caught up in the weeds of that, which is better. We want fiber. We don't want anything less than fiber. Let's fight for fiber. And I often tell the story of my own family that's from a really rural community, and if we'd waited for fiber, we'd still be waiting. And luckily, we were able to afford a fixed wireless tower in the backyard, and every kid in my family was able to have internet through high school and get 'em into college. So we can't wait. But this false sense of urgency that if we don't do it now, we'll never do it. I think that's a real false narrative. We just need to have long-term commitment to invest in whatever we need to maintain this momentum in our country. We need to have constant technological advancement, constant investment, and we're going to do as good as we can, but it has to be right now, we can't just wait for this idea of a three-year deployment or a five-year deployment. We need to do all of the above.

Jessica Denson (06:15):

So bottom line for you and your organization, you really feel like this is evolving, this is not, we're going to be seeing this for decades to come,

Catherine Krantz, Communities Unlimited, Area Director for Broadband  (06:23):

Right? Ideally, I want to just say that every chance I get, because I don't want people to think that, oh wow, there's 42.5 billion, that means problem solved, let's move on. And I think that was a real obstacle with the Affordable connectivity program is so many of the policymakers thought, oh, well, you guys got lots of money. We can move on to other problems. It's like, no, it is a lot of money, but it's worth it. And the economic impact of connecting every American more than pays for it. And we could make these same sizable investments every five years, and we probably should. So beyond the technology, I think people are only concerned about the technology. If they're afraid they're not going to get the money later. And if we make that commitment that we're going to do whatever we can right now to get you connected as soon as possible, and work towards this goal of getting every single American at the highest level of technology that we can, then we can work towards it. It's that false sense of urgency

Jessica Denson (07:20):

That's going to happen immediately. Yeah, understand. So for you, what would you like to see happen then, other than I understand that we need to make this an evolving effort and continue that. What are something that's something that politicians or decision makers, not necessarily just politicians, but decision makers in communities, what should they really focus on right now then?

Catherine Krantz (07:43):

Yeah. Well,

Jessica Denson (07:44):

It's a tough one.

 Catherine Krantz (07:45):

Unfortunately, there are still a large number of Americans that don't have basic connectivity. So we absolutely have to get every American connected. And unfortunately, that divide is only widening as cities and urban areas that have a great deal of connectivity, are able to utilize that to create integrated data systems and all these smart city and all these wonderful things that get people really excited about what could happen if we had connected communities. And our rural communities are still just struggling to have bare basic connectivity. So I want all of us, every American to have that excitement about technology and all the things that it can bring, and I want us to get there faster, honestly.

Jessica Denson (08:26):

Yeah. Well, Catherine, thank you so much for joining me. You're with Communities Unlimited. I'll include a link to your company or to your organization in the description of this podcast. So if people want to reach out, is that all right?

Catherine Krantz (08:37):

Yeah, that's wonderful.

Jessica Denson (08:38):

Okay. And what kind of leaders do you work with? Do you work with state all levels?

Catherine Krantz (08:42):

Yeah, pretty much all levels. I mean, a lot of the work that we do in broadband, you do have to have some elected officials because these are budgetary things. These are municipal decisions. So in some of the community organization work that my organization does, it could be something as simple as helping communities get grants for sidewalks, park cleanups, and those are any community resident that wants to take an interest in it. But broadband, you really do have to have elected officials to make some of these decisions. But we work with all, I mean, the smallest community I'm working with right now has 35 people.

Jessica Denson (09:18):

So all levels.

Catherine Krantz (09:19):

Yeah, all

Jessica Denson (09:19):

Levels. Alright, well thank you so much, captain.

Catherine Krantz (09:22):

Thank you. It's always great to talk to you.

Jessica Denson (09:26):

I am sitting at the Connected Nation booth at Mountain Connect, which is a broadband conference. We are in the 10th anniversary of this, and I'm sitting with Alexis Truby, who is with the University of Chicago. She leads the Internet equity Initiative. Is that correct? Did I hear it?

Alexis Schrubbe, PhD; Director, Internet Equity Iniative, University of Chicago (09:41):

That is correct. You did. You got it right, Jessica. Thank you. Chicken

Jessica Denson (09:44):

Scratch. It's amazing. Tell me, Alexis, why was it important for you to be here today?

Alexis Schrubbe, PhD; Director, Internet Equity Initiative, University of Chicago (09:50):

Oh man. I was peer pressured into coming here by a lot of people. I actually just got back from a trip up to Beaver Island, Michigan to hear stories about how those folks are trying to overcome barriers of distance, and a lot of the meetings of the mines for this conference also would benefit from hearing those stories. So I took advantage of the timing.

Jessica Denson (10:15):

So before we dive into what the University of Chicago is and the internet initiative that you're doing, talk a little bit about Beaver Island. I know that's the first question in everybody's mind now. Well, what did you learn there? Oh

Alexis Schrubbe, PhD; Director, Internet Equity Initiative, University of Chicago (10:25):

Yeah. No, beaver Island is actually super fascinating and I think it can be applied. The case can be applied to a lot of other outlying areas in the United States. It's not just an islander problem to have costs be prohibitively expensive for people to have internet and also to build internet networks. But what's really unique about Beaver Island is how the folks that have long established families and households there, they consider themselves locals and newcomers to the island. People who might have vacation properties have formed a coalition to overcome this problem together, and it's usually one or the other. So I think that that community building and to overcome this problem is really unique and special.

Jessica Denson (11:08):

It also shows that it's something that everybody needs, right? It's not just the older adult who might want to talk to their kids or a college student. It's universal.

Alexis Schrubbe (11:19):

Oh my gosh. Not only that, but if we're thinking about moving towards the future, aging in place, autonomous vehicles, we live in an ever increasing data. That was a poor way to say that, but our data-driven decision-making on the day-to-Day will only grow from this point forward. So having highly connected, reliable and fast networks is our key to joining the modern economy.

Jessica Denson (11:47):

And so is Beaver Island is completely connected. I mean, it's an island, it's completely disconnected from the mainland, and you can only get there by ferry basically. That's

Alexis Schrubbe (11:56):

Correct. It's the most remote island in the upper Midwest and on the Great Lakes, and it takes about two hours to get from Charlevoix to Beaver Island. You can barely see land when you're there, and they do have some service right now and are looking for ways to join the 21st century with fiber to the home.

Jessica Denson (12:17):

So really a case study in rural America, we can have all kinds of versions of that. When you say rural America, it's not just an island, it's not just a farm or a small town. There's all kinds of things, right?

Alexis Schrubbe (12:29):

Correct. And I think that one of the really applicable lessons here is how people can talk to other people about Depoliticizing broadband because unfortunately, these decisions are political. They do involve tax dollars. They do involve things that we identify with personally. Some people might not want to be connected. They might want to keep their rural area the way it is, but I think that depoliticizing the conversation by talking about how keeping young people in these areas through affording them access to work virtually, to learn virtually, all of those other paths that we have access to now are keys to keeping rural America as robust and amazing as it is.

Jessica Denson (13:13):

Yeah. We recently put a little piece out about how that spreads the wealth and increases innovation even in smaller areas. So let's talk a little bit about your program that you work on with the University of Chicago, or under that, why don't you explain it instead of me trying to

Alexis Schrubbe, PhD; Director, Internet Equity Initiative, University of Chicago (13:28):

No problem.

Jessica Denson (13:28):

It's called the Internet Equity Initiative, right? It

Alexis Schrubbe, PhD; Director, Internet Equity Initiative, University of Chicago (13:30):

Is, and it's kind of confusing because we are a research initiative housed within the Data Science Institute at the University of Chicago. It was started a few years ago by two leading faculty, Nick Fester and Nicole Marwell. And we really tackle all things quantifying, measuring, validating. I like to describe it as the quantifying the qualitative experience of using the internet. So we use machines to capture what someone's experience is from the technology side rather than their own perceptions of it. So we do a lot of speed testing. We put metrics, our software out into the wild, into the world, collect those measurements and share them back out for people to analyze.

Jessica Denson (14:21):

So what are some things one or two key points? I know I'm putting you on the spot and you don't have your data sitting in front of you, so I do understand that some of this may be a little bit of a guesstimate. So what are a couple of data points that you could share from what you've learned?

Alexis Schrubbe (14:34):

Yeah, Jessica, that's a great question because I think one of the big surprises is how high latency measurements were throughout the Illinois bead process. And you may or may not know this, but I actually worked professionally with Connected Nation through the Illinois bead process. They constructed a beautiful map where people could select locations to bring over to the challenge process itself. And we from the other side of things, actually sent speed testers out into the world and built a speed test platform. So from that collaboration, I think one of the things that we were most shocked by was high latencies coming back. And latency wasn't really even part of the discussion, but we were getting latency over a half a second in places in downstate Illinois.

Jessica Denson (15:20):

So explain to the layman what you mean by latency.

Alexis Schrubbe (15:22):

Sure. Okay. So I think one of the really good ways to think about it is when you order a pizza and somebody has to deliver that pizza to you, latency is like that pizza coming to your house from the pizza shop. So you send the call out, the pizza shop gets it, makes the pizza, and it comes back to you. That is all impacted by how far you are away from the pizza shop, how much traffic there is on the road, et cetera, if you have a fast car, all of those things. So that really is when you think about latency, your data going out and coming back. Yeah,

Jessica Denson (15:55):

That's a critical point. And a lot of people don't understand, and I've really learned that from Connect Nation too. And I will say, I did hear rumor that we worked with you and that you were a powerhouse, that you were pretty amazing. So talk a little bit about your role with your work and why you do it.

Alexis Schrubbe (16:14):

Oh man. Why do I do it? Geez. I thought that the internet was just the neatest thing as a kid. It was like the library of Alexandria at my fingertips. And I just believe with every fiber of my being that everyone should have access to those ideas, different ideas, ones that they might not be exposed to seek information to find joy. And I think that it should be affordable and accessible reliably to everyone. I think that it is part of the wonder of human creativity and intelligence.

Jessica Denson (16:53):

And what about you? Did you grow up in Illinois or I

Alexis Schrubbe (16:56):

Did not. I grew up in Wisconsin, actually, as you could hear. I, yeah, no, I can't turn it off no matter. But I grew up in Wisconsin. I moved to Texas for my graduate degrees, and then I actually am at University of Chicago just this past year and a

Jessica Denson (17:11):

Half. And you're enjoying it? You like

Alexis Schrubbe (17:13):

Chicago? I do, I do. I like it very much. But I do travel back to Austin all the time. That's

Jessica Denson (17:18):

My hometown. Oh, no way. I live in Louisville, Kentucky, but I grew up there. Oh, really? I'm a Texan, born in San Antonio. So yeah, I love

Alexis Schrubbe (17:27):

Fabulous.

Jessica Denson (17:28):

Actually, you should come to Louisville. Louisville reminds me of Austin. Oh, really? That's fabulous.

Alexis Schrubbe (17:31):

Thanks for

Jessica Denson (17:32):

The tip. Yeah, come on in. Come on in. Anytime.

Alexis Schrubbe (17:34):

Yeah, the longer you live in Austin, the less well equipped you are to live anywhere else. I think it's really true.

Jessica Denson (17:40):

Austin has really become a tech hub in the last 15 years. I mean, before Dell computers was founded there. I know that, but what do you think about that? Is that really fascinating to you? Oh,

Alexis Schrubbe (17:51):

Man. It was one of the reasons that I chose to go do my graduate degrees there was because of the tech origins of the city and the relationship that the university had with that. And there was an expert, Dr. Sharon Stroger, who studies this as well that I went to study underneath. But yeah, no, man, we are lucky in Austin because at my address on the east side, I have four choices for broadband. Yeah, that's

Jessica Denson (18:17):

Lucky.

Alexis Schrubbe (18:17):

All at a gigabit under a hundred dollars. Under a hundred dollars.

Jessica Denson (18:21):

Yeah. That's the other thing we talk a lot about at Connect Nations, the affordability piece, not just do you have choices, but also is it affordable? Do you understand it? Is there any future research that y'all are looking at doing in other parts of the digital divide? Yeah,

Alexis Schrubbe (18:36):

I think that we were considering expanding matching what we capture with our speed test data with available package information in this broader discussion of broadband labels. So as you know, ISPs over a certain size have to have a broadband nutrition label that explains what the product is to people looking for those services. But do we really, if it's the best advertised service versus what we're actually being delivered, and maybe we don't need the biggest package, if we're a smaller household and there's only one of us, how can we help consumers make the best decisions using the data that they give back to us? So indeed, this is a future area of research.

Jessica Denson (19:25):

And what do you think people get right or wrong about this kind of research and what the University of Chicago does?

Alexis Schrubbe (19:31):

Oh, that's an excellent question. Thank you. Thank you

Jessica Denson (19:34):

For that. I have some. Occasionally

Alexis Schrubbe, PhD; Director, Internet Equity Initiative, University of Chicago (19:36):

I think that what people get wrong about what we do is what we can see, our speed test boxes sit at a gateway and look out at the network. They don't look at what people do online. They just push tests out to the network. They are the gateway. So like a water meter doesn't know if you're showering, flushing a toilet, brushing your teeth or cooking. That's really what these devices are. But I mean, it's a little black box that you put in your house. So how do you know? And we're working on opening up all of our code base and things like that so that people can look and check and see. Again, that does require high technical proficiency, but translating that to an end user has kind of been our biggest challenge. Yeah,

Jessica Denson (20:25):

That's interesting. Okay, so what are you excited about? I won't keep you the whole time, although you're fun to talk to you. I can just keep talking.

Alexis Schrubbe (20:32):

Thank you. You're fun to talk to us about.

Jessica Denson (20:35):

What are you excited about in the future?

Alexis Schrubbe (20:37):

Oh man. What am I excited about in the future? I mean, we just sat through a lunch where they launched a bunch of rockets, so I dunno,

Jessica Denson (20:49):

Or what do you hope to see in your perfect world? What would you hope to see?

Alexis Schrubbe (20:53):

I've got something. I've got it. I've got it. I'm trying to, yeah, in my perfect world, I would be able to lay in my bed in Austin, open my window and have breakfast tacos fly through my window

Jessica Denson (21:07):

Into my

Alexis Schrubbe (21:08):

Hand. Yes. But we need a lot more connectivity to be able to do that, to have flying cars and all of the things that are promised to us in this jetsonian future that was spoken about at our keynote. We need reliable connectivity and I am looking forward to that. I think we

Jessica Denson (21:27):

Will get there someday. Yeah. Alright, Alexa, thank you so much, Alexis. Not Alexa, just so everyone knows. Thank you so much. Yeah,

Alexis Schrubbe (21:36):

Thank you Jessica. Appreciate it.

Jessica Denson (21:39):

I am now sitting with Jessica Randall, who's with my high office, which stands for Michigan HighSpeed Internet Office. For a while there I had trouble always remembering it. Now I've got it. Thank you, Jessica, for joining us today.

Jessica Randall (21:51):

Yeah, I'm really happy to be here, Jessica. Yeah.

Jessica Denson (21:54):

Yeah, we got the dual names. I know the other Jessica situation with Jessica, the most important. Jessica's today really, I really find. Tell me why you came to Mountain Connect. Why was it important for you to be here

Jessica Randall (22:04):

Today? Yeah, absolutely. Michigan I think is always interested in learning great ideas from other folks who are working in this space, and obviously there's a whole bunch of us together here in Denver.

Alexis Schrubbe (22:15):

If I

Jessica Denson (22:16):

Look away, I'm just checking your audio, so don't worry about it. Okay. So I'm sorry, I'm going to go 3, 2, 1 and start with my little thing. So 3, 2, 1. So you told me you've just been here for a couple of hours now. So what are you looking forward to seeing? Are you interested in talking to people here or what's going on with that?

Jessica Randall, Infrastructure and Data Director at Michigan High-Speed Internet Office(22:33):

Yeah, absolutely. So I actually am fortunate enough to be speaking a little bit more about what's happening specifically with Michigan Speed program this afternoon. And other than that, I think you hit it right on the head, right? It's all about just building connections and relationships. There's a couple people I know I'm looking for and a whole bunch more I don't even know I want to be friends with yet.

Jessica Denson (22:53):

So it gives us a little sneak peek and what are you going to say today in your panel?

Jessica Randall, Infrastructure and Data Director at Michigan High-Speed Internet Office (22:57):

Yeah, so we're talking a little bit about how we're moving through the bead program and bead implementation in Michigan. There's lots to be excited about here in, not here in Michigan, there in Michigan, right in this moment. So we have completed our state challenge process. We've submitted our results to NTIA and we're working through that curing process there, but we're really, really proud of all of the work that we did over those 120 days, 2.39 million challenge records generated and reviewed. 550,000 of those were specifically generated by eligible challengers, either as direct submissions or area challenges during that challenge submission period. And then obviously the rest of them came through deduplication and pre challenge modifications, which represent their own huge amount of work as well. So we're looking forward to continuing to move through that curing process and ultimately have our be eligible locations designated, and we look forward to announcing that as soon as we're able, so that we can start really letting our potential applicants move forward with their project design. What they are very busy with right now is that we've opened, so we have a couple dozen at this point, who've begun really moving through that process, submitting all of that organizational level information about their capacity to build and sustain and maintain these networks that are going to get folks connected. But of course, we're also just really looking forward to initial proposal volume two and project applications this fall.

Jessica Denson (24:28):

Well, Michigan really has been a, I would say a lot of the connected nation would say a case study and doing things the right way because you've gone back, talked to the people, talked to the communities, found out where the need was, and then offered time even after that to challenge the map, as you said. So many challenges, and I think that is a testament to the fact that you guys are communicating that really well. Has there been anything during this process that has surprised you or that you're excited about at this moment?

Jessica Randall, Infrastructure and Data Director at Michigan High-Speed Internet Office(24:56):

Oh my gosh. I think the very first thing that I would say is maybe the single sentence that we say the very most around my high is that communities know communities best. And so the uniqueness and the passion that people have for the things that are unique about their own communities and the needs that need to be met. So we've worked really hard to elevate that idea that communities can have a voice and how it is that they get connected as best that we're able in the B program. So that might be the thing that I'm the most excited about, is just that opportunity to know so many folks all over the state.

Jessica Denson (25:33):

Which brings me to my last interview. I talked to a researcher from the University of Chicago, and they are doing an internet equity initiative, and she recently went up and talked to some people from Beaver Island and they have a coalition there. They're doing a lot of the community doing a lot of the work, like you said. Talk a little bit about Beaver Island, what people don't know about it or understand about it, and then what's going on with NTIA with them?

Jessica Randall, Infrastructure and Data Director at Michigan High-Speed Internet Office (25:58):

Yeah, a hundred percent. So I'm not a lifelong Michigander. I'm always learning these fun facts about Michigan, and one of them that I learned last Friday is that we have 35,000 lakes, or I'm sorry, not lakes, 35,000 islands within the Great Lakes that are considered part of the state of Michigan. Beaver Island is one of the most unique because it is the most remote inhabited island in the Great Lakes, and they have some folks who I'm sure that Alexis discussed it with. You are really not only passionate about getting their community the connections they need, but also really knowledgeable about it. And it's critically important. You can imagine this is a community that the lake freezes over. The ferry stops running. You might still need that telemedicine appointment to figure out if you need that winter airplane ice plane evacuation for some sort of urgent medical need. You've got to continue learning. You've got to maintain your connections with folks who aren't necessarily on the island, and connectivity is a huge part of that. So for a long time, the folks on the island have really struggled with getting connected, and a lot of that has had to do with that reality of geography being that most remote island and some of the back haul technologies have been a real challenge.

(27:15):

One thing that's really exciting is that there's a provider in this state who through the NTIA Middle Mile grant is going to be building a redundant, so two different fiber lines coming, one kind of in from the northwest and the other running off the southeast edge of the island, and make sure that they've got that fiber back haul connection that's going to fundamentally transform that connectivity

Jessica Denson (27:38):

Opportunity. So it's essentially going to go under the Great Lake, right?

Jessica Randall (27:42):

That's exactly what it's going to do.

Jessica Denson (27:43):

Yeah, it's like building a subsea thing because the Great Lakes is so massive, I don't think people understand how big. Yeah, it's

Jessica Randall, Infrastructure and Data Director at Michigan High-Speed Internet Office (27:50):

Truly a freshwater sea.

Jessica Denson (27:52):

Yeah. Yeah. So you said you're not a lifelong, you haven't didn't grow up in Michigan, which I'm sure Michiganders don't hold against to because you love it, right?

Jessica Randall (28:01):

I'm married in, and I've been there for more than a decade now, so I like to claim it as my own. There you

Jessica Denson (28:05):

Go. So what's your background? Share a little bit about what brought you to my high office and where you've been, kind of your journey.

Jessica Randall (28:12):

Yeah, yeah. I mean, if I go into my deep, deep, deep background, I grew up in a farming family in central Kansas and not so many generations back. My family benefited from rural electrification. Oh, yeah.

Jessica Denson (28:24):

I kind

Jessica Randall (28:24):

Of regard the work that we're going to do through the bead program and through the digital equity programming that my high also supports as equally transformational as that was for my family. I know that it's going to be a huge difference for folks for generations to come. I kind of come at this from not a technical background. I'm certainly not an engineer. I came off of legislative staff and policy staff, but I had the opportunity to work for Michigan's lieutenant Governor Garland Gilchrist, who of course has a lot of passion for

Jessica Denson (28:53):

Improving connectivity. Oh, he's a big tech guy. Absolutely. Yeah.

Jessica Randall (28:56):

Maybe I'm not certain if this is true, but maybe the only statewide elected official whose background was software engineer. Somebody should back check me on that.

Jessica Denson (29:05):

Well, I've talked to him before. He's done some couple of things with us with telehealth, and I was able to interview him on the podcast and our early seasons, and he kind of blew my mind. He's so knowledgeable about technology and the internet that I was surprised. So if you are misspeaking, I would be surprised if anybody else has the same technical background that he does or even close.

Jessica Randall (29:27):

And honestly, that might be one of the secrets, or maybe the secret weapons actually, I guess, of Michigan and our B program and our digital equity programming is just knowing that we have such a powerful advocate in our executive office,

Jessica Denson (29:39):

Somebody who understands technology and its meaning in a human life. It's easy to have people who are technical, and then you have, we're in the middle of the exhibit hall and they're doing a marble race. It's very strange. She yells like that every 30 minutes or so for another marble race. It's crazy. But in my point being is it's awesome to see in my high office where you bring together people who are highly technical and people who really care, and everybody really cares about the human touch of that. I've seen it firsthand. I'm just bravo. So good job.

Jessica Randall, Infrastructure and Data Director at Michigan High-Speed Internet Office (30:16):

That's really kind of you. And yeah, it's definitely something that we all feel a real passion for and deep connection to. Everybody's story's different. Everybody's why is different, but we all have them.

Jessica Denson (30:26):

And so I think that's unique too, that you came from a rural background. Do you live in Detroit or do you live in another urban city or?

Jessica Randall (30:34):

I live just a little bit outside of the state capitol. But fun fact is that there was no wire line or hardwired internet connection available to me when we bought our property

Jessica Denson (30:44):

During Covid.

Jessica Randall (30:45):

And so I had to navigate funding a line extension project, which I was tremendously fortunate to be able to do. So many people can't and nobody should really have to.

Jessica Denson (30:57):

No, it

Jessica Randall (30:57):

Shouldn't be something that has to make the difference when you're making a residential decision.

Jessica Denson (31:02):

So speaking for the Maya High office, what would you like to see comes from all this work that y'all are doing right now in the near future and the long term?

Jessica Randall (31:11):

Yeah. When we talk about the mission of the office, what we say is that we want to make Michigan a more digitally equitable state where everybody can use technology to improve their quality of life, whatever that means to them. And it's going to mean something different. Family to family, to family. Folks who heard me at those, my connected future roadshows probably heard me talk about my kids and their Halloween costumes and showing 'em in real time to my parents across the country and what video chats can mean. But education, farming, it's such a tremendous, tremendous benefit for agricultural industry, speaking of just more traditional manufacturing and other types of industry. But whatever your story, whatever your background, whatever you need, we want technology to meet you where you are so that you can do what you need to do and take full advantage of the resources that are out there.

Jessica Denson (32:02):

Well, Jess Carrano with my high office, which is a Michigan High Speed Internet office. Thank you so much and good luck on your panel. Thank

Jessica Randall (32:09):

You.

Jessica Denson (32:09):

Yeah, I look forward to it. Our next episode of Connected Nation, I will continue our coverage from the Mountain Connect Conference taking place in Denver, Colorado. Until then, I'm Jessica Denson, and this is Connected Nation.