Connected Nation

Mountain Connect 2024: BEAM's leadership on broadband expansion and accessibility across Mississippi

• Jessica Denson • Season 5 • Episode 39

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Jessica Denson (00:04):
On this episode of Connected Nation, we continue our coverage from Mountain Connect 2024, which is a broadband conference taking place in Denver, Colorado, and brings together ISPs, engineering firms, broadband, state broadband directors, and others from across the country to discuss how we can close the digital divide. On this episode, I speak with the head of the state broadband office for Mississippi. I'm Jessica Denson and this is Connected Nation.

Hunter Newby, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Newby Ventures (00:35):
So what is a cross connect? It's a term that basically means from one network's physical presence to a fiber to another port, assignments, ALO, Z Lo. So from the requesting parties, always the A, and then the termination is always the Z. 

Jessica Denson (036):
I am sitting in the main ballroom at Mountain Connect for day three, and we just listened to a presentation from Connected Nation on their internet exchange programs. They're working with Newbie Ventures, and I was lucky enough to find Sally Doty, who is with Beam in Mississippi, which stands for, tell me if I get this right, broadband expansion and accessibility of Mississippi. That's just right. Thank you. Alright. Thank you Sally for agreeing to speak with me today. I really appreciate you for doing that. Talk a little bit about what Beam is, where it's at right now, what's going on in Mississippi. Give us an overview of the landscapes on broadband. Sure. Beam is the state broadband office for Mississippi. It is a new office created at the inception of the bead program. We did not have an office dedicated to broadband in Mississippi, so we have geared up very quickly and are in the process just along with other states.

Sally Doty, Director of the State Broadband Office for Mississippi (01:39)
We're also awarding capital projects, fund monies. We almost have all of that out the door as well. We started our challenge process last week, August 1st, and we'll be in that and hope to open our subgrantee selection process by the first of the year. Tell me what kind of challenges that I know not every state had broadband offices before BEAD came out. What are some unique challenges with having to set that up and have to navigate this all at once? I can imagine it's got to be tough. Just the bureaucratic hurdles of setting up a new office are a bit frustrating, but it's been such a good experience for Mississippi and for the citizens of Mississippi because our office now is kind of the holder of truth. There's a lot of, oh, well I heard. Well, I hear it's coming. And so-and-so got a grant. So our office is familiar with all grant programs.

Sally Doty (02:36)
We have developed a very detailed state broadband map, very up to date, very easy to use and user friendly because we know that's so important. We want our citizens to have access to that data and know what their availability is and if they're going to be a part of a funding program, if they're already part of a funding program. We were very fortunate in Mississippi to have a large art off award, so a tremendous amount of locations in Mississippi already have funding designated tied to that address. And so it's been good for our citizens to say, oh, it's coming. We've been very busy and every day is different. How about that? I'm sure it is. There's a lot of new territory in this space right now. I love that you said user-friendly and having one place where people can go and get their questions answered.

Jessica Denson (03:30)
I'm sure you hear a lot of everything from I have nothing to what do I do to even figure out what's next? Are you hearing some common themes throughout or is it just all over the place right now? The common theme is we want internet and we want it now. Yeah, I mean, that's it. So we do spend a lot of time in our office, take a lot of calls, explain, and we do have a sense of urgency about getting this money out the door, but we also know that it has to be done correctly. So our neighbor in Louisiana, they're the first to do everything. I'm a bit jealous of them, but we also learn a bit from them. So we have perhaps taken a little breath before opening that challenge process because we wanted to make sure we had good community involvement. We had a request from some community groups for some additional training.

Sally Doty (04:30)
So we said, okay, we'll be glad to do that. And also it allowed us to update our map even further. Another version of the fabric came out, so we're able to get more up-to-date information, which we think will help us on the back end of getting those locations, those eligible locations approved from MTIA for B. There is something to be said, yes, urgency, but doing it right so you don't have to do it again and again and again at Mountain Connect, I've heard there's up to 30 broadband office directors here and around as a leader in that for Mississippi. Do you all talk across states? I know you might be looking at Louisiana over We do. Do you have a lot of good conversations like that? We talk a lot, and that is the reason I come really to these conferences. The different panels are great, but the opportunity to talk to other broadband directors and really get some best practices from them and talk about struggles they have, it's very important and very worthwhile. And we share information all the time. There is no, we're always, oh, I've got that on my website. Go look at this, or I've got this. Well, what'd you do? So we do. We all, most of us know each other and it's a great opportunity for us to share ideas and maybe vent a few frustrations every now and then as well. Yeah, which everybody needs even quietly over to the side. I just need to vent real quick. Yeah, there you go.

Sally Doty (06:01)
The money that the federal government set aside through BEAD and the IJA, the big infrastructure act is going straight to the states for the states to decide. So you're going to be one of those people of 50 states in the territories to make some very important decisions right now. What does that wait, feel like right now? Are you ready? We had someone come in to speak. We had a broadband conference in Mississippi and Chip Pickering, who's former congressman in Mississippi and just very well known in the telecom world, chip somehow equated our effort to build out broadband to all of Mississippi as it would help to cure cancer and also help, let's see. We have a lot of defense ship building on the coast of Mississippi, so it was like to help with defending our country. I'm like, oh no. Now I not only have to build up broadband to everybody to cure cancer and save the world also. You could do it, Sally. Yeah. Yeah. So it is quite an undertaking. But in Mississippi, we are fortunate. I feel like the allocation that we have in funding is going to build out to all of our rural locations. We've had a tremendous effort by our rural electric co-ops in Mississippi. There was some CARES Act money dedicated to them legislatively back in 2020 that really got them rolling on those broadband expansion projects. So they have gone to some of the most rural areas. So I can mark those off my map.

Sally Doty(07:45)
But there's still other co-ops that are still building. And then just other private carriers that are doing a great job and small. We've seen just some great stories of small providers as well who have been in these rural communities and who have really stepped up. Our office is also administer applied for and is administering a broadband infrastructure program. Grant providers could apply for that if they had a governmental partner. And we applied for it back in 21, I think. And when providers approached me, I said, no, I'm not going to be your partner. No, we have too much to do. We're not going to be your partner. And that was even before our agency came into existence. But when we realized that opportunity might slip by, we did join them until we'd been administering that as well. And have just really enjoyed watching these smaller providers, first of all, get some experience with federal grants.

Sally Doty (08:42)
We've all learned some lessons. Sure, listen to our accountants, but we've learned some lessons and really have enjoyed watching those providers and their work in their communities. I love that you bringing up the smaller internet service providers, a lot of who are going to be a part of the effort to connect that last mile, the rural households, small towns, and you also mentioned partnerships, connected nation. We really believe that partnerships working together is the only way the digital divide's ever going to get even remotely tackled or closed. That gap. How critical is it for the state of Mississippi to partner with others and work with others to get this done? Oh, I think it is essential. And we've done a lot of work with various stakeholders from the citizens of the state of Mississippi who need to have an open and transparent understanding of what's about to take place to our internet service providers who need to understand the rules of the program.

Sally Doty (9:50)
Then legislators who are getting calls all the time from both of those groups. So partnerships are extremely important. Partnerships with other state agencies as well as I meet with 8 1 1 I think on a almost weekly basis. I'm sure they get daily calls. It is. It's very important. I was talking to one of those smaller providers who said they're really trying to figure out how to serve some of these extremely rural locations and is there a model to share some services, share an on-call technician that could work an area for a couple of different providers being really creative and flexible. So I hope that we can see some of that. And it sounds like those ideas are bubbling up among our providers. I love that. So talk a little bit about your state. I've been through Mississippi. It's a beautiful place. It has interesting topography. It's not normal.

Sally Doty (10:57)
I mean, you've got the coast, you've got a little bit of everything. Yeah. Well, you even have swamp plan, right? A portion of it. Yeah, we got some swamps. Yeah, we do. So does that make some of it, some unique approaches that you have to take some of that creativity and flexibility? I think so. And our co-ops built all aerial, and so we were a little nervous about that at first, but it has held up very well. We've had some bad weather tornadoes and which seems to be holding up fairly well. So we are encouraging buried as well. But Mississippi, pardon me, it is. We have a large area from the coast all the way up to the hills, to the delta. A lot of different topography, A lot of it's a lot of wooded areas in Mississippi. It's a beautiful place. So if you haven't visited us, please come on down.

Sally Doty (11:51)
Yeah, I think it's a beautiful state. So Sally, one thing I do do on the podcast go ahead, is I love to talk to people about who they are too. So what brought you to this moment where you're leading this? Did you grow up in Mississippi? Are you from there and just love the state and have stayed your whole life? Or give me a little bit about you. Sure. I am a native Mississippian. I think I am probably a fifth or sixth generation Mississippi. Oh, wow. I have very long, very roots in Mississippi, but I am an attorney. I do not have a technology background at all. I was in the state legislature for 10 years and then took an appointment by the governor. I was chair of the energy committee. And in that capacity also worked on our bill in Mississippi that allowed our electric co-ops to go into the broadband business.

Sally Doty (12:51)
Handled that bill and committee on the floor, I think for a couple of hours on the floor, handled that bill. So really was kind of informed about what all was going on in this world. Took an appointment from the governor to go to the public utility staff that works with the Public Service Commission. And that's where when I walked in the door, the general counsel met me and said, oh, Sally, glad you're here. We have 65 million in CARES Act funding that we've got to give out to the electric. Oh my gosh, we don't know. We've never done this before. We've never run a grant program. I was like, oh, okay. Well, let's get to work. So we ran that program. Actually, it ended up being 75 million. Oh wow. Was a one-to-one match. So it was really a 150 million investment, which really got things rolling for the co-ops.

Sally Doty (13:47)
So was there applying that? So learning on the job, learned on the job for sure. And then when we created the new office Beam, which yes, I did have my hand in the legislature making sure I had a good acronym there. Yeah, right. Yeah. It's very important. The governor allowed me to move over. We wanted to have a separate entity for this effort. He said, governor Reeves said, I want somebody who goes to bed at night thinking about broadband and wakes up in the morning. I said, well, that okay. Yes, I do. So we have really enjoyed, I've got a great team around me, brought some people over from the public utility staff that worked in telecom. So smart. That was very helpful. We didn't leave them in too big of a bind there. But I've grown up in Mississippi. I have family in Mississippi.

Sally Doty (14:42)
I have a daughter and grandchildren in Mississippi. So it's a great quality of life is very high. It's maybe a slower pace of life and just an easy life. We don't have a lot of traffic or a lot of problems. How about that? Yeah. I will tell you that the reason even I messaged you through the little conference app and came over to you is I kept hearing your name. Other people were saying, oh, Sally's so wonderful and so nice and so knowledgeable. I heard it at least three or four times. And then when I sat down, you were talking to Ernie, who I'd interviewed earlier, comparing pictures of your grandchildren. So you were very much respected just from my point of view, from what I've seen. So how important is it, I mean, I would imagine being in government and politics, sometimes you have to play one side or the other, but how important is it to have friends and to be good to each other when we do this work?

Sally Doty (15:39)
Oh, I think it is extremely important. I mean, you've got to have a great environment that you work in. And I think I do feel very good about my staff. We are a big family. They're all younger than I am. I call them my work children. And we try to support each other because this is, it's stressful at times. You have a lot of different demands on your time. So I think it's very important to be supportive and respectful, to listen to other viewpoints. And that's what we try to do. Because at the end of the day, my task is to build out internet to those families who don't have it to the country store that they can't accept credit cards because it spends or bumps 'em off to the grandmother that can't FaceTime with her grandchildren. So I just think that this build out is going to be so important for Mississippi.

Sally Doty (16:45)
We have some areas with some really untapped potential from our residents, and so I think this is going to make us smarter. It's going to make us healthier. It's going to make us have better economic success. So I'm just really motivated in this endeavor and I can't, can't wait to maybe be on the other side of it and see what happens. See how it goes. I've just got to exist for the next year, couple of years. I love watching. I'll watch from the outside and hopefully touch base with you in another year or two years, see how things are going. Well, I look forward. It is a slower process than we want because there is a lot of federal check-ins and approvals that we just don't have any control. They do keep moving the ball. They do. I have seen that as well. So we are subject to that.

Sally Doty (17:38)
So we are moving a little bit slower. And then as I tell our constituents, these are big construction projects. It's not just boom, boom, there are permits and approvals and digging and bids and building all these things that have to happen. So it doesn't happen overnight. And people understand that, and they know if they live out in a rural area that there are challenges to reaching that area. So let's wrap it with one last question. In your perfect world, five years, 10 years down the road, and you looked back on this time with Beam, what would you like to see come from it? I would like to see every Mississippian having access to affordable, reliable broadband. I would like to see also some other important projects that I think are going to come out of this. We've talked with Connected Nation about this IXB and hope to get that in Mississippi. So I think there are some ancillary, we're going to have enough funding to reach everyone in Mississippi. And then I think there are some ancillary projects that can really help us kind of leapfrog ahead, I hope as a state, because I think we have a lot of things to offer. Well, I think your state's in good hands, so thank you so much, Sally Doty, I appreciate your time. Thank you very much.

Jessica Denson (19:05)
On the next episode of Connected Nation, we shift our focus a little more northeast, and we talk to the head of the broadband office for Ohio. Until then on Jessica Sen, and this is Connected Nation.

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