On this episode of Connected Nation, we continue our coverage from the NACo conference. And you're going to love this episode. That's because we talked to two companies that are doing pretty innovative things to make your life more relaxed and stress-free. Related links:Daiwa massage chairs Advanced Robot SolutionsNACo's Achievement Award winners for 2024Special series episodes list:Inside that National Association of Counties Annual Conference - Ep. 25Inside NACo - what Black leaders say the...

On this episode of Connected Nation, we continue our coverage from the National Association of Counties Annual Conference and Exposition. We begin by posing a question to you. Do you know what a "nope rope" is? Well, you're about to find out in our interview with Lucid Software.Also, we talk with the county manager of Columbia County, Florida about the challenges his county is facing when it comes to broadband access... and some of it is pretty unique. Related links:Lucid SoftwareC...

On this episode of Connected Nation, we continue our special coverage from the National Association of Counties (NACo) Annual Conference and Exposition. The event brings together county leaders from across the country share ideas, talk about challenges and what's next. In this episode, we talk with leaders in the black community, including representatives from the National Organization of Black County Officials (NOBCO) and a leader in one of the biggest counties in Tennessee.Relat...

On this episode of Connected Nation, we kick off a special series that takes you inside NACo's annual conference and exposition. NACo stands for the National Association of Counties and there are representatives from all over the nation who attend.In this series, we'll talk to everybody from national black community leaders to those who are doing some innovative things with AI for county leaders.Related links:Meet Claudia RicoFinley Engineering, Inc.Agile FleetSpecial series episodes list:Ins...

On today’s podcast – we welcome back a great guest from Season 4, the CEO of Fiber Fast Homes, a company that works directly with real estate developers and builders to connect homes and rental buildings to lightning-fast internet.Learn about the importance of pre-wiring new homes, whether MDUs or single-family developments, and why it is becoming paramount. Hear about the peculiarities of this task, the role of the HOA, and how this will prepare infrastructure for the next generation of conn...

On today’s episode of the Connected Nation Podcast, we tackle what can be done to mitigate threats to our nation’s internet networks – during natural disasters including an increase in cyberthreats. We invite on leadership from Windstream Enterprise about the unique approach the company takes to stave off bad weather and bad actors during difficult times. Recommended Links:Windstream's WebsiteArt Nichols' LinkedInNOAA hurricane season predictions - https://www.noaa.gov/news-releas...

In 2019, it was estimated that Detroit was the least connected city in the U.S. with greater than 100,000 households.* On this episode of Connected Nation, we take you to a special event held in the heart of Detroit that’s getting the city one step closer to changing that statistic for good. Related links:eeroNonprofit partners: Digitunity | Human I-T | E2D | National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA)Michigan High-speed Internet Office - main page | MIchigan digital equity resources &am...

The Connected Nation Podcast wrapping up from Lexington, Kentucky at the 2024 Govtech Digital Government Summit. In the final installment of our coverage, Jessica Denson speaks with the SLED East Director from Socure, a Kentucky State Senator, and the CIO of the Kentucky Department of Education.Visit the links below to listen to parts 1 and 2 of the Digital Government Summit podcast coverage!Part 1 - click herePart 2 - click hereRecommended Links:Frank Snyder's LinkedInSocureSen. Gex Williams...

The Connected Nation Podcast checking back in from Lexington, Kentucky at the 2024 Govtech Digital Government Summit. In today's second episode, Jessica Denson welcomes on a Editorial Director for Content Spaces for Govtech, a GIS Analyst with TechSystems, and the IT Director for the Louisville Metro Government.Check out our socials this week to listen to parts 1 and 3 of the Digital Government Summit podcast coverage!Part 1 - click herePart 3 - click here Recommended Links:Zach Patton's Link...

The Connected Nation Podcast is back on the road today in Lexington, Kentucky at the 2024 Govtech Digital Government Summit. In this episode, our host, Jessica Denson, speaks with the Executive Director of State Programs at Connected Nation, the CIO of the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government, and an account executive at Dynatrace.Stay tuned to our socials this week to listen to parts 2 and 3 of the Digital Government Summit podcast coverage!Part 2 - click herePart 3 - click here Recomme...

Today, we are joined by Sitetracker’s leadership about the delivery on that promise with what the company has dubbed a “future proof platform.” When it comes to building new telecommunications and internet infrastructure – there are a lot of moving parts. What if you could better predict when to scale up resources to complete jobs faster, more efficiently, and with more profitability? That’s what Sitetracker promises it can help organizations do. Recommended Links:Sitetracker Websit...

The Connected Nation podcast is back covering the 2024 Broadband Communities Summit in The Woodlands, Texas. The event serves as a hub of collaboration and innovation for some of the biggest names in broadband, all working towards a shared mission of closing the Digital Divide.In our final installment of the summit, Jessica is joined by leadership from Comcast Texas, leadership from DigitalC, and a tribal broadband manager from the Choctaw Nation. Recommended Links:Broadband Communities...

Today, the Connected Nation podcast is back covering the 2024 Broadband Communities Summit in The Woodlands, Texas. The event serves as a hub of collaboration and innovation for some of the biggest names in broadband, all working towards a shared mission of closing the Digital Divide.On today's second episode, you'll hear from one company that's helping to train skilled broadband workers. You'll hear from another that's helping ISPs improve and extend their networks, and you'll hear from a sm...

Today, the Connected Nation podcast is back covering the 2024 Broadband Communities Summit in The Woodlands, Texas. The event serves as a hub of collaboration and innovation for some of the biggest names in broadband, all working towards a shared mission of closing the Digital Divide.On today's episode, we talk with the head of the USDA's Rural Utilities Service, a small provider in Oklahoma who works with both tribal and state governments, and one of the nation's leading researchers in broad...

This week, the Connected Nation podcast is on the road covering the 2024 Broadband Communities Summit in The Woodlands, Texas. The event serves as a hub of collaboration and innovation for some of the biggest names in broadband, all working towards a shared mission of closing the Digital Divide. On today's episode, Jessica Denson welcomes on a variety of guests from varying backgrounds. From a company helping peers navigate red tape, another company helping ISP's scale up and skill up their w...

On today’s episode of the Connected Nation Podcast, we focus on important guidance provided by the US Department of Education regarding the use of assistive technology devices and services for children with disabilities. We are joined by the woman who leads the office that provides that guidance – about the facts and the myths - that surround the use of these technologies within our public schools. Recommended Links: Myths and Facts PDF About Glenna Wright-GalloA call to action fo...

On this episode of Connected Nation (CN), we explore how CN's Engineering and Technical Services team  is helping states monitor broadband infrastructure builds and, most importantly, verifying that the billions of dollars set aside to help the most underconnected Americans are spent as promised. Related links: Learn more about CN's services by clicking here See the team in action here->watch the YouTube video Broadband Communities Summit 2024 -...

On today's two guest episode we are first joined by Joe Costello, the founder and CEO of Kwikbit Internet – an internet service provider with a mission to help some of the most underserved populations in the country. Learn how the company is focusing on bringing access to everyone from rural communities to inner city households – by using what it calls “flexible deployment.” BONUS: Following Joe, we are joined by Brad Randall of Terrapinn. Brad and Jessica preview the upcoming Broadband...

A recently released report examines how states are approaching reforms to telehealth laws – from allowing access to specialists across borders to creating more flexibility for innovation.   On today's installment of the Connected Nation podcast, we’ll talk with one of the co-authors of the research project – which provides a report card of sorts on how states are doing. Find out if your state is among the top performers – or the lowest. Recommended Links: The Cicero Institute...

In recognition of Women's History Month, we're putting a spotlight on women who are leaders in tech or leveraging technology in new ways.  On this episode of Connected Nation, we talk with award-winning writer, producer, and director Jessica Mathis (aka Divinity Rose) about taking her craft online in the days of and following the pandemic. Learn how it changed her approach to making her critically acclaimed project titled “Triggered.”  Plus, we explore how it’s informed her screenwriting...

In recognition of Women's History Month, we're putting a spotlight on women who are leaders in tech or leveraging technology in new ways.   On this episode of Connected Nation, we're talking with the CEO and co-founder of Oria Health, Amanda Havard.  Learn how the company is addressing the critical need for more mental health practitioners in rural America; why its approach is both improving quality of care and expanding treatment options; AND where Oria Health recently expanded its...

On today's episode of the Connected Nation podcast, we welcome Ryan Adams, the President and Chief Operations Officer of GeoLinks, a California-based telecommunications company. Ryan shares what he believes in standing in the way of helping millions more Americans, AND we explore the hybrid network model he says can connect the hardest to reach communities in the U.S. Recommended Links: GeoLinks Website Ryan's LinkedIn 

On today's episode we celebrate and mark Black History Month by exploring issues important to African Americans relating to broadband, technology, and the Digital Divide. We welcome guests that are leaders in a variety of areas in tech for a round table discussion on everything from the misuse of the term “diversity” to the future of Black tech in America.   Recommended Links: Sabrina Morton: Sabrina's LinkedIn Sabrina's Company Doug McCullough: Doug's LinkedIn Color Coded Labs Black...

On Season 5 Episode 5, we walk through the 2024 National Educational Technology Plan. It examines how technologies can raise the bar for elementary and secondary students – and offers solutions already being utilized by schools, districts, and states to close digital inequities in learning.  We are joined today by one of those who helped author that plan, Zac Chase, who is a Digital Equity Impact Fellow within the Department of Education’s Office of Educational Technology. Recommended...

On this episode, we are joined by an amazing guest that is a US Army Veteran, IT Adjunct Professor at South University and Technical Program Manager at Google. We discuss his time in Iraq, his 18 years of experience in the "Game of Thrones" world of telecommunications and what it is like to work at Google. As he is our first guest of Black History Month, Demarkus also shares his experience as an African-American in telecommunications and what can be done to provide more opportunities for...