Mission Telecom's RESPOND Kit: Ensuring communities stay connected during disasters

On this bonus episode of Connected Nation, we talk with leadership from Mission Telecom about their new RESPOND Kit – a broadband solution for disaster preparedness, response, and recovery. 

It's not just for ISPs. This product was built for everyone from disaster agencies to nonprofits responding to immediate and long term need. 

Recommended links: 

Mission Telecom website

Mark Colwell Linkedin

Transcript

Copy Transcript Copied

Jessica Denson, Connected Nation (00:00):
<silence> This is Connected Nation, an award-winning podcast focused on all things broadband from closing the digital divide to improving your internet speeds. We talk technology topics that impact all of us, our families, and our neighborhoods. When disaster strikes, internet access can save lives. Connectivity is essential for coordinating first responders and providing critical information to those in the path of storms. Now, one nonprofit is stepping up to ensure communities don't get left in the dark. On today's podcast, I talk with leadership from Mission Telecom about their new respond kit, a purpose-built broadband solution for disaster preparedness, response, and even recovery that's built for everyone from disaster agencies to nonprofits, responding to immediate and long-term need. I'm Jessica Denson, and this is Connected Nation. I'm Jessica Denson, and today my guest is Mark Calwell, the interim executive director of Mission Telecom, a nonprofit dedicated to expanding digital equity and driving what they call systematic change. Hi, mark. 

Mark Colwell, Mission Telecom (01:17):
Hey, great to join you, Jessica <laugh>, 

Jessica Denson, Connected Nation (01:20):
Really glad to have you here. Where are you calling in from? 

Mark Colwell, Mission Telecom (01:23):
I live in Boulder County, Colorado, um, just outside the city of Boulder in a town called Erie. 

Jessica Denson, Connected Nation (01:29):
Oh, I've been there. It's really pretty out there. 

Mark Colwell, Mission Telecom (01:32):
Yeah, we are. You know, people don't know this, and I probably shouldn't tell the audience, but it's 50 degrees and sunny right now, and, uh, um, it's December, so, you know, we'll take 

Jessica Denson (01:40):
It. Oh, yeah, you've got it. Good. It's, it's gross and rainy here, and I'm in Louisville, Kentucky. You'd think I'd have it better, but I don't <laugh>. It's that nice mountain effect, right? 

Mark Colwell (01:51):
That's right. Um, yeah, and so we were trying not to let the secret out, but, you know, people still find out and they come this way. 

Jessica Denson (01:58):
Just remind 'em. That's Denver, not Erie, Denver, everyone, uh, <laugh>. Sorry, mark. Uh, before we dive into this, uh, respond kit, which is what really got my interest, uh, your PR team sent me details about it. It, it's, it's really interesting that it's not necessarily meant just for ISPs, it's meant for other organizations. I'd really like to get into that, but what I do with every guest that I have, um, for my audience sake, is to get to know you a little bit and what your background is. So, um, tell us a little bit about your background, where, where you, you came from and how you ended up with Mission Telecom. 

Mark Colwell (02:35):
Uh, excellent. Well, thanks Jessica for the opportunity to chat. Um, I grew up in rural Kansas and spent a lot of my life, um, kind of as a techie nerd kind of kid. Um, we were one of the first houses to have dial up internet, and I had one of those CD ROMs with the San Diego Zoo. And so I've always sort of been fascinated by technology and, um, computers and that sort of thing. Um, I ended up getting a political science degree in Kansas and then moved to Washington DC So my first job was on Capitol Hill. I spent three years in the house, five years in the Senate working on these issues. Technology, telecom, um, rural broadband in particular. And so that was really where I got my start in trying to solve the digital divide. Uh, I left Congress in 2015 and ended up, uh, going to Dish Network.

(03:24)
I worked in the customer experience division there for a year, and then went to University of Colorado at Boulder to get my master's in telecom engineering. I really wanted to understand how networks worked, and, um, they have a great program there with folks like, uh, Dale Hatfield, who would be the former CTO of the FCC, uh, teaching some of my classes. Um, and then for the last six years or so, I've been really focused on wireless connectivity and closing the digital divide. I did a one year stint at the Colorado Broadband office. I was appointed by Governor Polis to serve on the broadband deployment board, so that would be like Colorado's own universal service fund. Uh, we had both state funds and federal funds that we were deploying for fiber projects. And at the, at my day job at the, uh, Colorado Broadband office, I was, um, helping write the rules for CPF and Bead.

(04:15)
Um, so that's kind of my background. And then I joined Mission Telecom a little over two years ago. One of the reasons I was interested in this is the, the federal programs are going to do some tremendous things in rural America to connect folks. Um, and that's, I'm, I'm a big fan of that, having grown up in rural America, and I know what it's like to drive, uh, I drive, you know, from Denver to Kansas to visit my parents. And you can imagine there's 4,000 people, uh, in, in that drive. But, um, I'm really a big fan of these programs. I think they will do a lot of good, but the problem for me is that there's a lot of dots on the map that are considered served that aren't gonna see a penny of this federal investment, and someone's gonna solve this problem for folks who maybe live in an urban area where the, the building's old and the wiring's old, and, you know, wireless is a good option there. So that's really what drove me here is how do we solve this problem for all the dots on the map that are considered unserved that aren't gonna get the federal investment that some of the rural areas are gonna get. 

Jessica Denson (05:18):
Uh, I don't think I would be, um, overstating by saying that this is really kind of a, the bead, um, the bead money that's coming out is really this incredible investment that's gonna be very public private partnerships. So my point is, is it kind of sets you up that you've had this experience with the government and you've worked in the private sector. Do you think you're kind, you, you understand it better than maybe your average CEO or average Joe, so to speak? 

Mark Colwell (05:48):
Yeah, I think, you know, having spent a lot of time on Capitol Hill doing like FCC budgets and, um, working for my boss who was on the commerce committee, um, you get a lot of folks with kind of a legal background who understand, um, sort of the, the things that are brought their way through the lobbying community or from the, um, governing bodies, but they don't have a lot of the, the experience in the private sector, you know, and then the same thing goes the private sector folks. They're trying to convince the government to do what's in the best interest of their company. I think it is interesting to have someone who's, who's been in all those roles, um, because I think you can be a little more, I guess, transparent or honest about how do you actually solve the problem. So I do think that's a unique skill set that I bring to the table. 

Jessica Denson (06:31):
Yeah, I would agree with that. And also, let's not overlook what you said about becoming an a telecom engineer, like through the, at the University of Colorado in Boulder. That is, that's another skillset where you're able to actually look at the technical side of it thing that maybe some of us don't understand. Someone like me would understand. 

Mark Colwell (06:47):
Yeah. You know, when I was on Capitol Hill, we had, you know, it was a hundred senators, and so I think there was one person I knew that had an engineering background out of a hundred staffers doing this work. So, you know, it's not that they're not intelligent and competent people, it's just, uh, engineers are built a little different. 

Jessica Denson (07:04):
Yes, they're <laugh>. We have some engineers on our team and, um, here at Connection Nation, and they are built differently. They're built wonderfully but differently. <laugh>. That's right. Um, let's, okay, let's move on to, uh, mission Telecom, the kind of the overview of it. It, it's kind of a unique model, right? 

Mark Colwell (07:20):
Absolutely. So Mission Telecom is a nonprofit wireless broadband provider and grant making foundation. Uh, we're actually more than 40 years old. Our founder was involved in public radio and public television in the eighties, and he came across an FCC proceeding, uh, for spectrum licenses for educational tv. So he created a handful of nonprofits and applied for licenses. And so we actually control, um, seven licenses in big N-B-A-N-F-L kind of cities. Uh, Philadelphia is probably our largest, one of our smaller ones might be, you know, a Kansas City or an Indianapolis, but all very big markets. I mean, for a long time we did educational tv. Uh, when I was growing up, it was like Channel one news, you know, the school would record programing and then show it around. Um, and then in the early two thousands, the FCC uh, changed the rules and they said, license holders can continue to do educational tv or you can do this thing called wireless broadband.

(08:19)
And so, um, there were a couple companies at the time, c Clearwire and Sprint who were competing for these licenses. And, um, it ended up, we signed a lease agreement with, uh, with Clearwire. And so, uh, Clearwire is now part of T-Mobile. So T-Mobile is using our spectrum. They're leasing it from us in these big markets. They build their 5G network on it, and they pay us a couple kinds of royalties, cash royalties, which help fund our operations and our grant making. And we get access to the network, which we can then serve schools, libraries, nonprofits, and other social welfare organizations with, you know, affordable connectivity. So that's our model. That's a lot of words. So hopefully <laugh> No, it's, hopefully I'm making sense, but, uh, 

Jessica Denson (09:00):
Yeah, completely. You're using the funds that you guys are making from the Spectrum sale or the, the licensing or the, uh, renting of it, however you wanna phrase it, the leasing rather, um, to then fund this other work that you guys wanna do. Right, 

Mark Colwell (09:14):
Exactly. You know, and this, this spectrum was originally for educational purposes, and so it's, it is really cool to see 25 years later, um, that we are able to still give back to that educational library nonprofit community, which is sort of the original intent of why the FCC did this in the first place. 

Jessica Denson (09:34):
So do you guys help set up schools or EE expand upon that a little bit before we get into the respond thing? 'cause I know that's very much specifically to disaster assistance. Yeah. So talk a little bit more about that, just so our audience understands your core work. 

Mark Colwell (09:49):
Absolutely. So, you know, we work with a lot of schools, libraries and nonprofits, especially digital equity nonprofits in a school context. Um, a lot of schools got hotspots during COVID, uh, for those kids who simply just didn't have connectivity at home at the time, every kid was out of the school building for some period of time. Um, and so that's an example where many of 'em already have equipment and we can simply send our sim cards to them and they can put 'em in the equipment they have, and we can maybe lower their rate or reinvigorate a program that they didn't have funding to continue. Um, and so that, that's an example in the school space. Libraries, about 47% of public libraries have a hotspot checkout program, or at least had one in the last couple years. And that's another example where maybe they're paying 30 or $40 a month, and we can come in at a much lower rate. And, um, you know, as you may know, uh, there's a lot of federal funding cuts and state funding cuts at the libraries. So those are examples of where, you know, we can be a partner with folks. And, and, and obviously, you know, in, in a library context, um, the hotspots are actually the most checked out item at a public library. There's always a wait list. And so that just shows you the need for broadband and how strong that is in, in many communities. 

Jessica Denson (11:02):
Yeah. And with the bead funds, about half is gonna be left on the table with the benefit for the bargain stuff. So at least from the Connected nation nonprofit side, we would really like to see some of that going to, um, helping those low income groups, you know, more hotspots, uh, digital <laugh> skills training, just putting that out there, <laugh>. Exactly. Um, what would you guys like to see some of that be? We don't want them to claw it back. We want the, the states to use those funds, right? 

Mark Colwell (11:29):
Yeah, I mean, it is really amazing. We've been working with a, a variety of, um, funders. Um, in fact, this week, you know, the New York Fed had a meeting with a variety of funders in the digital equity space, um, you know, trying to, trying to think about this problem. But, you know, really there are so many amazing stats about the value add of giving connectivity. Um, you know, one of the things when I worked on Capitol Hill that I worked on was, uh, trying to get the government to move to more cloud-based services and use, you know, private sector providers because it's more efficient than the government building data centers and so forth. And the reason I bring that up is the more people that are left on the wrong side of digital divide, they have to rely on analog services from government, from businesses and so forth.

(12:13)
And the more people we can move to having connectivity and skills to use it, we can provide much better digital services, faster, smarter, more affordably. Um, so those are some of the motivations personally that I have around, uh, this topic. And, and so I think the government needs to realize we've already funded this program and that they should allow states to utilize those funds for these types of programs so more people can get online, uh, you know, access education, access commerce, you know, there's, there's a lot of, I think, untapped potential in areas that are not connected today. 

Jessica Denson (12:45):
Right. And there's this whole talk about AI right now, but we gotta get people to understand how to use the basics and then introduce them to AI as well. <laugh>, so there's so much, um, oh, exactly. Yeah. So set. Let's set the stage about, um, what respond kit is, you know, disasters like hurricanes, wildfires, floods, and now we're right now in the middle, missed winters upon us. You know, we're gonna have severe weather. I've, we've already had snow here in Kentucky, which is unusual for us pretty early in the year, um, ice. So talk about what the respond kit does and, um, you know, I guess first off, why connectivity matters during those storms? 

Mark Colwell (13:27):
Yeah, great question. Um, the, the respond kit was really developed out of some of our own staff's personal experience and some of our community members and, and organizations we work with. But it's no secret that, uh, storms are increasing in infrequency and increasing in the amount of damage and, uh, the, uh, v violence and the velocity and so forth that they bring. And so communities are, it's not a matter of of, of if you're gonna get hit, but when with some kind of storm and there's different types of storms, of course, there's, there was flooding in, you know, hurricane Helene, for example. There were wildfires in LA and in Maui. Um, there are tornadoes in, uh, the mental part of the country, the place where I grew up. And so you have different types of storms that create different kind of challenges for people. Um, but we created this kit really, um, you know, based on our experience with Hurricane Helene, we have a handful of staff in the North Carolina, South Carolina area.

(14:25)
And, um, we had been working with a variety of councils on governments and other nonprofit groups in that area. Um, right after the storm, we deployed over 300 lines of service, uh, for free for folks in that area to utilize, um, in the case of the flood, it's a longer term, uh, recovery. Um, and, you know, folks, computers float down the river with their house, and they don't have to employment. They don't have access to sign up for FEMA benefits and check in on the status of that benefit, right? They don't have access to insurance claims. So you're really at a disadvantage. And a lot of people, you know, we were taught when a storm comes, you just try to exit the house, grab your go bagg and go, many people don't bring their computer, their charger, any of these essential tools that are gonna be necessary, not only to immediately recover and find a place that's safe to go, but then the long-term recovery. Um, so that's, that's really what created the impetus for this, um, this kit. 

Jessica Denson (15:25):
And it respond, it actually is an acronym, right? 

Mark Colwell (15:29):
That's right. 

Jessica Denson (15:29):
What it stands for <laugh>, 

Mark Colwell (15:31):
It's the rapid emergency Support and preparedness offer for Network deployment kit. 

Jessica Denson (15:36):
Fantastic. I love it. Uh, so talk about what's in that kit, um, and walk us through some of the key features that it offers. 

Mark Colwell (15:47):
Yeah. Uh, so we serve a lot of schools and libraries. And in times of disaster, whether they like it or not, they become a meeting place for the community, whether it's providing shelter or internet access or food. It's a distribution point for, you know, water and food and so forth. And so, you know, we were sort of driven to build this so that every school in America could have a respond kit. We've built sort of two options. We have one that's, uh, got some 4G and some 5G hotspots included in it. Um, so it's four 4G hotspots, two 5G hotspots, um, all for $999 per year. And then we have a secondary kit that is all 5G hotspots. Um, the real reason here was number of users, 4G hotspots can handle a certain number of users, 5G can handle more. Um, and we wanted to give people options based on the price point, but that's, that's what's in the kit.

(16:40)
And then I guess I'll get share one example of why, you know, this, this really matters. One of our own staff members, uh, was impacted by Helene, and I remember, uh, you know, checking in with him during the day. And his experience was one where his power went out at his house, but he was still working because he had a computer with battery power. He had one of our hotspots, um, which was connected to a tower nearby that had backup power. So a lot of cell phone companies have been implementing backup power. And so it, it really is a lifeline in times of emergency, um, uh, because there's a generator at the site. So that's, that's kind of an interesting way to think about why this matters is, you know, it might take a few days or weeks to get your regular internet connection restored. Um, and so this is a, a mobile connectivity solution that allows you, you know, to connect two towers, which most of 'em have backup power today and stay online, um, at, at this critical time, right. When the storm is impacting. 

Jessica Denson (17:41):
And I'm struck also, you know, a lot of people don't have, um, a, a typical broadcast television set anymore. They don't have cable. Um, a lot of people now even just have, you know, your streaming services, whichever ones are multiple, that you, that are your favorites. Uh, it strikes me that if you don't have the internet and there's a disaster or something going on, it's very difficult to even get information about other people what's going on. Um, you know, I know from experience that the, I used to, I grew up in Tornado Alley, so I grew up in Oklahoma City in, in Austin. So <laugh>, I grew up in tornado, so I understand what you're saying. Yeah, yeah. But I've been, I've been there where all the lines are clogged. You can't even, you can't even reach someone. So on a, on a level of just human to human, I can imagine just being able to have that access to information is like, is can be lifesaving. And, and I don't think that's an overstatement. Right. And also connect people. Yeah. 

Mark Colwell (18:42):
I mean, it seems like a lot of people get their news on social media and Facebook and places. And so, you know, if a storm when I was growing up, like you, you know, we'd go down in the basement mm-hmm <affirmative>. I dunno if Oklahoma had, Oklahoma had basements, but we did in Kansas, <laugh>, we, we have storage shelter, a little radio. 

Jessica Denson (18:57):
Yeah. 

Mark Colwell (18:57):
Yeah. And I don't even know if I have a radio at my house. I mean, I don't, I think there's a radio in my car. I know that. But I don't have like, a battery powered radio. I don't know how many families actually do these days. Um, the phone is the radio along with the camera and everything else, right? 

Jessica Denson (19:10):
Mm-hmm <affirmative>. So I could just see these having such a strong impact, uh, which is one of the reasons we wanted to talk about it today. So it's also, you guys also work with, um, I know you mentioned schools and libraries, and I do agree with you, that's a place that a lot of people go, that we saw that during the pandemic where they're gathering in parking lots, um, or at McDonald's parking lot <laugh>. Oh, yeah. Um, that's an inside joke with me and my CEO 'cause he laughed at me when I said that. I'm like, no, really, people are going to McDonald's to get their That's right. Yeah. But anyway, um, for first responders and disaster agencies, community anchors and nonprofits. Now I got that directly from your website, uh, that this, these kits can also help those groups. Um, I imagine, you know, nonprofits, they usually, especially for the long-term recovery, go into action to help mm-hmm <affirmative>. And then first responders need something, disaster agencies. Do you kind of have a different approach with each one? Or is are you like, no, this respond kit can be used in all these different areas? 

Mark Colwell (20:09):
Yeah, I mean, our services ride on the T-Mobile network, so it really can be used anywhere. T-Mobile's National Network exists, uh, including Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Um, and, you know, we are looking for any partners, nonprofits, first responder groups, um, who are interested in this product. We've targeted libraries and schools, um, due to the fact that they, again, they become the meeting place for a lot of these mm-hmm <affirmative>. Um, disasters. And also, they're often not always getting funded to do this work. They just, by default become the public space that people go. And so our suggestion to them is, you know, if you're gonna be asked to do this in times of emergency, you should be prepared for it. This would be a good option. Um, then one of the other challenges, and, and one of the reasons why we work with a particular group, um, is just understanding the nature of how folks respond.

(20:58)
You, everyone wants to be helpful, but there's a, a really structured way in which, um, these voad type groups go after disasters. So we've chosen to partner with a group called it DRC, it, disaster Resource Center. It's a group of volunteers who respond to all kinds of disasters around the US and even internationally. And, um, they are really, uh, the first responders in a lot of cases, and they have our connectivity. We, we, they're a partner of ours. We donate some service, they buy some service through us so that they can have access in times of need. And, um, they work with a lot of the groups on the ground at the impact site, if you will, to be able to deploy services and make sure that the folks who need it can get online. And it's a lot easier, um, working with a, a, a nonprofit with a lot of experience in this space for us.

(21:48)
And that's how we got started. But I think we've also realized that one of the challenges in a disaster is roads get washed away and getting products places are, are challenging. And so it'd be better if everyone had this, uh, at least in a drawer somewhere or at the local library, for example, to access when they need it. Because even if they, if I wanna get them a product, if the delivery truck can't drive down the road to get it there, I can't get it there. So we really wanna focus on the preparedness side of this, um, issue because, you know, it is not always a guarantee that you can get the services and the product, um, when the storm 

Jessica Denson (22:25):
Hits. And on that side of it, how I, I, I'll include a link, um, to the Mission Telecom website and where they can find these re uh, respond kits in the description of this podcast. But how do someone order it? Are there some savings they can have? I know you guys work really hard to use the funds you make from licensing to help organizations. Absolutely. So what is kind of your pitch, your sales pitch for, for people buying these in addition to just, I mean, obviously it's better to be prepared than to, to wait till you need them, <laugh>. That's a big one. Yeah. But are there savings they can get right now? Or is there something they could do for bulk? Or is there something you would recommend like a group of libraries getting 'em together? 

Mark Colwell (23:04):
Yeah, absolutely. So our, the option one that I, throughout the 9 99 per year, that's actually a 50% savings over our normal standard pricing. Uh, we have an unlimited rate plan. We typically sell it for $20 per line per month. Um, and then we give discounts for bulk. So in this scenario, we're giving a 50% discount off of what that would normally cost, um, for, for anybody who's interested. And, um, and then on the, uh, option two, it's, it's a 40% discount. So again, if you were to buy lines at full price from us, um, you know, you're, you'll be paying about 40% more. And we think those are reasonable price points, given that it's a kind of a custom unlimited plan that a high priority on the network. Um, and, um, 

Jessica Denson (23:48):
I did look at the website page and it's very easy to see how it all breaks down. So I would encourage people to go there. And, I'm sorry, I interrupted you. We're gonna say one more thing. 

Mark Colwell (23:57):
Oh, you was just gonna say, yeah, and just to, to order it, uh, it sounds like you'll share the link, but it's pretty simple. You go to our website and click the order now button and, uh, put in your information and our team will reach out. And, um, it's, it's pretty simple. We, we do pride ourselves on customer experience and being easy to work with. So, um, that's how you do it. 

Jessica Denson (24:17):
And are they pretty simple? Is something like a comms director could set up <laugh> problem? For 

Mark Colwell (24:22):
Sure. So Our service, um, is, includes free shipping. It usually arrives in three to five business days from the date of, uh, purchase. And, um, it's already activated and ready to go. So you just take it outta the box and turn it on. Um, just like if you were to buy a phone or other electronic device, um, you'll have to, it's a mobile hotspot, it has a battery, so you'd have to charge it when the battery runs low. But, um, it's a pretty, pretty amazing device. And the 5G device is actually something I use almost every day. Uh, I have it in my car, uh, my children use it, and, um, I get some pretty amazing speeds on it. Um, uh, and it can use, it can, it can connect up to 20 users. Wow. So that's another important thing is, is you can get quite a few connected devices on a hotspot these days. 

Jessica Denson (25:08):
Yeah, that's fantastic. I would encourage everybody to go look at that. Um, before I let you go, let, let's talk a little bit about the future. What's next for Mission Telecom over the next year, five years? Where do you see, um, the organization going? Or what are you looking at now? 

Mark Colwell (25:23):
Yeah, that's, that's a great question. Um, we have, uh, several more years left on our lease agreement. And so our goal is to try to place every line of service available to us, uh, to folks in need, uh, schools, libraries, nonprofits in the digital equity world. Um, one of the really interesting partnerships that we're very close to launching is with a company called kajeet. Um, they are a, uh, a very well known in the school and library space, and they have a very unique, um, account management portal that can add things like custom domain filtering, um, for a library you could suspend service if the, if the hotspot is checked out and doesn't return. Um, so we're really excited about that partnership. You'll have more on that probably in the next month or so. Um, and then through our arrangement for our lease agreement, uh, we do also have the option to launch voice service.

(26:13)
So one of the things that we'll be working on in the next, I'd say, um, year, year and a half, is, uh, launching voice service, again, like an unlimited, uh, voice plan that rides on the T-Mobile network, um, that has built in features like, you know, wifi on airplanes and, um, hotspot and, um, satellite connectivity. So those are really some exciting things. This disaster space, for example, that satellite connectivity, um, is a really interesting thing. 'cause even if the tower's out, you could still access the satellite and be able to have communication. So those are the types of things that we're really excited about. Um, and, uh, I, the final thing I tell you is that we're, we're growing really fast in the school and library space, uh, particularly the library space. So we're really excited about the option to, some of these programs have been at, at jeopardy because of federal funding cuts.

(27:05)
And, um, and we are are able to help, you know, fill the gap for folks and offer them an affordable plan that they can keep these services going for the community, which, like I mentioned, are, um, the most popular item checked out at a library. So it, it is shocking the number of people who just don't sim simply don't have home internet, can't afford home internet mm-hmm <affirmative>. That are relying on the McDonald's wifi or the library hotspot. But that's what we're here to, to make sure that those programs can not only maintain themselves, but expand and connect more 

Jessica Denson (27:36):
People. Yeah. We've been looking at, uh, internally with our research team, looking at the numbers of those who are, you know, there's more people connected, but there are are, I say connected that have access like the, the internet's there, but they haven't chosen to, to get the internet. It's actually a bigger number. It's, it's getting to be a bigger gap that we're seeing some new numbers we're gonna put out later in the year. But that's your little teaser. Yeah. But yeah, I'm, I'm in totally agreement's and you can't overlook what libraries do for people. It's incredible in the technology space, what they do. 

Mark Colwell (28:11):
Yeah. Yeah. That lowest kind of, um, socioeconomic group in America mm-hmm <affirmative>. You know, only 57% of them are signing up for home internet, whereas, you know, 95 plus percent of 'em have access to it. Right. So that tells us something about what we need to work on in terms of, you know, is it affordability plus skills plus a device? That's really the full package of digital equity as a computer, the skills to use it, and then the, uh, the ability to get, you know, internet access. And so we have work to do. That's, I, I agree with you on the, the bead funding and the benefit of the bargaining, uh, deal. I think we need to, um, try to retain those funds so we can solve that problem. 

Jessica Denson (28:49):
Right. They're there. Let's do it. <laugh>, uh, what, and speaking of which, you know, there's a lot of talk about ai. I, I, I'm, of course have to ask just about every guest about this at some point. And, you know, AI and other emerging technologies. Uh, what is your point of view on that? Is your company looking at how AI is maybe some of the next steps? Absolutely. Or how, how do you guys, uh, view that? 

Mark Colwell (29:12):
Yeah, there, there's kind of two ways to approach the question. Um, I'll, I'll handle the sort of, what are our partners and how does AI impact the digital divide? Um, and that's an interesting one because with every new technology, there's gonna be early adopters and those who don't, uh, get, get around to it or don't know how to use it. And so we have a lot of partners who are, for instance, computer refurbishers who are building digital equity AI curriculum, and they're working with companies like Microsoft and others to teach people the basics. And also just how do you use this technology in an employable skill kind of fashion. I do hear a lot of, uh, news about, um, layoffs at companies because AI can replace jobs. But more than that, I think AI is an assistive technology to people. And so if you want to be a part of the workforce, you're probably gonna need to learn that skillset and be able to manage ai, um, so you can be efficient and productive.

(30:07)
And then from a company standpoint, you know, we've been using AI tools for a couple years now. Um, there's a lot of interesting things going on in, in telecom for ai. Um, we aren't a provider, but if you were to talk to the big providers, they're of course providing fiber to these big data centers that are going up around the country. And that's a business line that's gonna be viable for them for a long time. The amount of power, the amount of, um, energy that it takes to run these places, um, the natural resource strain is big, but you know, they gotta be on fiber to be efficient. So that's one area that's impacting the, the sector. What I tell you, um, from another angle is, um, AI is being explored, as you might imagine, in the customer experience, uh, space. Um, and I, you know, I, I get asked this probably every week.

(30:56)
I'm like, wow, what's the AI strategy and how are we gonna do this? But, um, from my research, one of the real big benefits if you're running a call center, for example, isn't necessarily that you have an AI call agent. There are some, you know, successful technologies that can do outbound calling or respond to people, but I do, I do think there's a frustration level in working with a bot or AI <laugh>. Um, but what, what AI can do really well is synthesize information. So there was a podcast I listened to with Amdocs. Amdocs is a big billing platform that companies like T-Mobile for example, would use. And they had a stat that said the, you know, on a billing call, if someone, if a customer's calling in about billing, um, the average duration of that call was about 13 minutes to solve that billing inquiry.

(31:44)
Well, now with ai, you can preload, you know, the last two years worth of bills, and you can have AI essentially read through those and spit out a script for a call center agent that says, well, you've got a credit in, you know, November, and then in December the credit rolled off. And they really don't have to do a lot of thinking and analysis live. They can just read the script. I think those are gonna be, the assistive technology areas are gonna be the area where it's gonna have the biggest impact first. Uh, over time there will be people that try to move completely ai, and I think there will always be a universe of people that wants to talk to a human being. But if we can make the human beings more efficient through ai, I think that's gonna be a winner. 

Jessica Denson (32:23):
I, I applaud that. Um, I am, in fact, my boyfriend makes fun of me because I get so frustrated when I'm like, no, I, I don't wanna talk to a bot <laugh>. I want to talk to someone who can understand the nuance of what I'm trying to say. Right. It, it frustrates me. So I, I completely relate. And I think that you're right, that if it makes the person more efficient, that's great. And I do think that there is a place for us to understand and utilize ai, right? And those who don't are the ones who are going to, to be worrying about where their job is. So, um, well, mark, I could talk to you all day. You've got, you've got great, I love what you guys are doing, but what is the one key takeaway that you really want our audience to remember about Mission Telecom, and, and you could say something about Mission Telecom and the Respond kit in two different breaths, if you'd like <laugh>. 

Mark Colwell (33:12):
Well, absolutely. So, you know, mission Telecom is really dedicated to closing the digital divide. So if you're a library, a school, a nonprofit, or you know, one, you know, please send 'em our way. Um, we're saving folks a lot of money over what they're paying the other providers, while also being able to reinvest that back into the community. There aren't a lot of companies out there that can say that. Um, and we do that because we're a nonprofit, and that's our mission. Um, and then with regard to the Respond kit, I think anybody out there, you know, first responder groups, nonprofits that do aid work or response work to storms, um, we think it would be great to have this, uh, at your office, in your truck, wherever it makes sense to have, um, uh, an ability to respond immediately, because you never know what the storm's gonna bring. Um, and as I mentioned, it's not really a matter of if, but when, uh, a storm's gonna impact you or someone, you know, and it's better to be prepared and ready. And I really, I I have to say that the technology, uh, with 5G and with backup generation is quite amazing. So, um, if you know anyone out there that'd be interested, please send 'em our way. Um, again, we're providing really high quality service at the, the most affordable rate in the market that, that I've found. 

Jessica Denson (34:28):
Yeah. Let's be prepared instead of waiting, folks, it's important. Well, I I really appreciate your time, mark. Thank you so much for joining us today on Connected Nation. 

Mark Colwell (34:37):
Thanks so much, Jessica. I really appreciate it. 

Jessica Denson (34:46):
Again, we've been talking with Mark Calwell, the interim Executive Director of Mission Telecom about the recent launch of the Respond Kit, a new solution for disaster preparedness response and recovery. I'll include a link to Mission Telecom, and to the Respond kit in the description of this podcast. Again, I'm Jessica Denson. Thanks for listening to Connected Nation. If you like our show and wanna know more about us, head to connect nation.org or look for the latest episodes on iTunes, iHeartRadio, Google Podcast, Pandora, or Spotify.