I do not hold any equity positions with any companies cited in this column.įind more from Moor Insights & Strategy on its website, Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Google+ and YouTube. Suffice it to say AT&T is well on its way.ĭisclosure: My firm, Moor Insights & Strategy, like all research and analyst firms, provides or has provided research, analysis, advising, and/or consulting to many high-tech companies in the industry, including AT&T, cited or related to this article. Often, half the battle is determining where to begin the journey. It is worth noting that AT&T is dedicating $2B over three years (2021 to 2023) to support all these efforts. AT&T's playbook may be in its early stages, but it can serve as a compelling model. It will require public and private partnerships, innovative planning, and flawless execution. AT&T’s national pricing structure for its fiber services helps immensely by not penalizing lower populated regions, and federal government subsidies also play an essential role in lowering the barrier to access.īridging the digital divide and accelerating digital literacy is a complicated problem.
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AT&T has also created The Achievery, a free digital learning platform to help students and families participate in digital learning and gain digital literacy skills.įinally, affordability is key, especially in many rural areas of the country where wages are lower than in major metropolitan areas. Centers are equipped with fiber, Wi-Fi, and Dell Technologies desktop computers and displays with webcams to facilitate virtual learning. It is a joint venture with not-for-profit companies, with a goal of opening twenty locations by the end of this year. Before I visited Evansville, I spent time with other AT&T executives to learn more about the company's Connected Learning Centers initiative. AT&T is investing significantly to ensure digital literacy is commensurate with access. One size does not fit all, and I applaud the company’s approach in this regard.Īdoption focuses on education on the merits of broadband and how it can support employment, learning, reskilling, and healthcare. AT&T broadly (pun intended) anchors its broadband plan in three key areas – access, adoption, and affordability.Īccess focuses on identifying underserved areas such as Vanderburgh County and determining the mix of private/ public partnership investment required and connectivity – both fiber and 5G fixed wireless access services. I couldn’t resist a baseball analogy, given it's the month of October and down to the wire for many major league baseball teams post-season play, including my Houston Astros! In my experience in corporate America, every great program begins with a great plan. He also has a great sense of humor that is disarming and makes him highly approachable, leading one of the world's largest companies. I found him incredibly bright, with a keen focus on the business and very deep technically as a former engineer. However, reliable and robust connectivity is a necessary requirement.ĪT&T Fiber Yard – Evansville, IN Will Townsend AgTech can be a robust platform that has the potential to dramatically increase crop yields, improve sustainability, and revolutionize farming and ranching. It's a win-win – the county reaps the benefit of extending connectivity to its citizenry, and AT&T establishes a base from which it can eventually recoup and monetize future services for consumers and agricultural businesses.
In this instance, AT&T invests 2/3 of the required capital upfront and Vanderburgh County 1/3 in a private/ public partnership.
From my perspective, it's a model for other rural areas of the United States.
Exiting the pandemic, the county was able to leverage funding from the American Rescue Plan and, with AT&T's help, launch the nearly $40M project. The challenge in the past in bringing broadband to nearly 1/3 of the counties unconnected has been one of economics, balancing lighter population densities and recouping the required investment of installing the necessary infrastructure. Last October, Vanderburgh County went through an exhaustive selection process, eventually choosing AT&T to supply fiber-based broadband services to 20,000 homes and businesses in mainly unincorporated areas underserved with connectivity for decades. But before jumping into the tour details, it would make sense to provide some background on how it all started about nine months ago. The city is beautiful and picturesque, situated on the banks of the Ohio River as the county seat of Vanderburgh County, with a vibe that might be best described as Smallville ripped from the pages of DC Comics. The visit to Evansville marked my first steps into the state of Indiana.
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