NTCA - The Rural Broadband Association

Despite advocacy efforts, many rural communities still struggle with reliable broadband. Our research explores the gap between NTCA’s initiatives and the real challenges faced by high school students in rural areas in Michigan. Through interviews, we identified barriers like limited infrastructure and inconsistent service, impacting remote learning. This project highlights key insights and recommendations to improve digital access for rural students.

Background

Access to high-speed internet is essential for education, yet many rural communities continue to face significant challenges despite advocacy efforts. NTCA – The Rural Broadband Association champions policies to expand broadband access, but there remains a gap between these initiatives and the realities experienced by rural students. Our research investigates this disparity, focusing on high school students in Rudyard Township, Michigan, where broadband limitations affect their ability to engage in digital learning.

Through interviews with educators, students, and community members, we identified key issues such as outdated infrastructure, unreliable connectivity, and affordability concerns. These barriers impact students' ability to complete assignments, participate in virtual learning, and access educational resources. While NTCA and policymakers push for broadband expansion, many rural households still lack consistent, high-quality service, highlighting a need for more targeted investments and community-driven solutions.

Research Question

“How might we increase broadband coverage and technology access to high school students to ensure equitable access in rural Michigan?”

Stakeholders and Interviewees

Our research examines this disparity, focusing on high school students in Rudyard Township, Michigan, where connectivity issues create barriers to digital learning.

Through interviews, we identified four key stakeholder groups affected by broadband limitations:

Students rely on the internet for assignments, virtual learning, and college or career preparation, yet many face slow speeds or lack access at home.
Teachers struggle to integrate digital tools into their curriculum and support remote learners when internet access is unreliable.
Parents are concerned about their children's education but often face financial or logistical challenges in securing better internet options.
Government officials play a role in broadband policy and funding but must balance priorities and infrastructure limitations.

While NTCA and policymakers advocate for rural broadband, challenges persist, requiring targeted investments and community-driven solutions. This study highlights these challenges, evaluates the effectiveness of current broadband initiatives, and provides recommendations to bridge the digital divide for rural students.

We conducted interviews with government officials, an educator, and a student to gather perspectives on rural broadband challenges.

Three Government Officials: We spoke with a Director of the Office of Systems, a Computer Science Consultant, and an Educational Technology Manager. They provided insights into broadband policies, infrastructure efforts, and funding challenges related to expanding internet access in rural areas.
Educator: A high school science teacher from Rudyard High School discussed the effects of limited broadband on teaching, including challenges in integrating digital tools and supporting students with unreliable internet.
Student: A student who attended school in rural Michigan shared personal experiences with connectivity issues, describing difficulties in completing online assignments and accessing educational resources.

“Michigan will receive $362,985,055 in federal funding over the next ten years to expand broadband access to 249,263 sites statewide.”

Interview Protocols

Interview Protocol #1

Overarching question:

Are you aware of any digital literacy gaps among your students? In what areas do your students excel and where are the gaps taking place?

Description: [Name Redacted] is a 48-year-old secondary teacher who teaches Science at Rudyard High School. He has been working in Rudyard High School for at least 6 years. From this interview, we expect to gather data on how limited broadband access impacts his students and how it affects the teacher's ability to provide resources.

Interview Introduction:

Hello [Name Redacted], thank you for meeting with us. We are masters students at the University of Michigan studying information. I’m [name], and my role is to ask questions and guide the conversation. This is my teammate [Teammate's Name], who will be taking notes and assisting with any follow-up questions.

We are currently working on a project for our class SI 500. We are partnering with the NTCA Rural Broadband Association to improve digital literacy for high school students at Rudyard High School. We would like to get a better understanding of the educational technologies students have access to at Rudyard High School to come up with the most suitable solutions.

This interview will last for around 30 minutes to 1 hour. Please feel free to stop us at any time during the interview if you feel uncomfortable. We will not reveal proprietary information publicly but we might discuss interview content with our instructors or classroom colleagues. After the interview, we will follow up via email if needed. Lastly, do you permit audio recording for our project only? Audio recordings will not be shared outside of our classroom. (Yes/No)

Before we begin, do you have any questions?

Key Questions:

Did you grow up in Rudyard? If not, what made you move to Rudyard?

Follow-up questions:

Are there any specific reasons that you wanted to move to Rudyard?
What other occupations did you have in the past?

What is your experience with broadband connectivity in this area?
What is your experience with broadband connectivity in this area?
Can you describe the current state of internet connectivity and digital technology access at Rudyard High School?

What kind of software or applications do you use for your homework, assignments, and projects to turn in?
Are there software applications that you tried to use but failed because of the poor internet connection?

Have there been any notable changes in broadband access during your four years of teaching?
How has broadband access affected your ability to teach?
What impact did the COVID-19 pandemic have on broadband connectivity needs and usage at your school?
What is the level of digital literacy among your students at Rudyard High School? If you’re familiar with digital literacy skills among urban students, how do Rudyard High School students compare to students in urban areas?
How do you think your students are in terms of college preparation?
What would you say are the most urgent broadband-related issues that need to be addressed to improve education in rural areas?

Conclusion:

Thank you for your time, I really appreciate your insights and thoughtful answers. If there are any questions or add any other information, feel free to contact me through email. Thank you so much.

Interview Protocol #2

Description: [Name Redacted] is a director of the Office of Systems, Evaluation, and Technology (Michigan Department of Education), [Name Redacted] collaborates with internal and external stakeholders in the areas of systems coordination, integration, and improvement, evaluation, data analyses, and data-driven decision-making, and educational technology and infrastructure.

Overarching Question:

“What strategies or initiatives is the Michigan Department of Education implementing to enhance broadband access in rural areas?”

Introduction:

Hello, my name is Goni, and I’m a graduate student at the University of Michigan. This is my teammate [Teammate's Name], who will be taking notes and assisting with any follow-up questions. We are currently involved in a research project with NTCA, an organization dedicated to enhancing broadband connectivity in rural areas. They advocate for small towns in need of better broadband access and collaborate with over 850 broadband providers.

As part of our research, we are exploring effective strategies to improve connectivity specifically for high school students and educators, as well as engaging with local government stakeholders. Our goal is to gain a comprehensive understanding of this issue and raise awareness about the critical need for robust broadband infrastructure in rural America. Given your expertise in systems coordination and data-driven decision-making in education, I’d love to hear your insights on this topic.

Before we begin, do you have any questions?

Key Questions:

What is your position, and how long have you been in that position?
What does your team do?
How does MDE usually obtain information about what educational resources students need?
What steps must be taken to approve new technologies or broadband services for rural schools?

Which steps are the most challenging/time-consuming?
What are some common constraints?

Can you discuss any successful initiatives or programs the Michigan Department of Education has implemented to improve broadband access in rural areas?

What are the challenges?
Are there any specific partnerships or models of collaboration that have proven to be particularly successful?
What is the difference between conditions with/without such solutions taking place?
Any feedback from users in the process?

Can you list some of the recent implementations related to broadband and technology access?
In your experience, what are the biggest barriers to achieving reliable broadband access in rural communities, and how can these be overcome?

What types of data are most critical in guiding your decisions, and how do you ensure data accuracy and relevance?

Are there any emerging technologies or innovations you believe could significantly improve broadband access in underserved areas?

What about satellites?
How can educational institutions prepare to integrate these technologies effectively once they become available?

How does the MDE communicate updates on these improvements to local schools and teachers?

Conclusion:

Thank you for your time. I really appreciate your insights and thoughtful answers. If there are any questions or add any other information, feel free to contact me through email. Thank you so much.

Findings

Key Finding #1

Key Finding #2

Government allocates federal and state funds to districts that need and want more connectivity.

Key Finding #3

Constraints

We have discovered that governments are taking certain measures and actions to help districts with broadband facilities, and are willing to allocate an amount of funds for districts. One major problem however is that some districts are unwilling to improve broadband conditions, but instead find that the funds can be used elsewhere - meaning that they are not laying enough emphasis.

Rural connectivity in Michigan faces challenges from limited internet options, financial divides, and inconsistent technology access in schools, impacting educational equity and student performance.

Certain districts are not allocating funds for broadband since they don’t find it important. Because of this students’ performances are getting impacted.

The funding given to schools from the district directly affects the amount of digital literacy courses or preparation students receive or are aware of.

Key Finding #4

Action steps at different levels (govt, district, local) directly affect the communities issuance of broadband connectivity.

Recommendation

Conclusion

From our research, we find that students without adequate digital literacy education have less interest in pursuing STEM careers, and their preparation level as well as study outcomes are at an insufficient level.

We are happy to see that as for the technology itself, it’s already making observable progress to some extent. At Rudyard High School, for example, connectivity has improved significantly. Overall, the direction of the actions taken right now is correct and is worth sticking to.

We came up with three ideas to help increase awareness of broadband connectivity and educational technology in rural communities:

Make Instagram posts and stories to educate high school students on the importance of using digital technologies for education
Distribute designed posters in the community for people to have general idea, to pay attention to the existing problem
Design and distribute pamphlets at local and school libraries and community centers, also digital versions for NTCA to put on websites

While these recommendations offer a comprehensive approach, there are several potential limitations and constraints to consider. For instance, community resistance to change, as highlighted in our interviews, may hinder the adoption of broadband infrastructure. Some communities may prioritize other funding needs or hold misconceptions about the benefits of connectivity. Addressing these challenges will require ongoing efforts to build trust and demonstrate the tangible benefits of broadband access.

Another constraint is the availability of resources for implementing these initiatives. Designing and distributing outreach materials, running social media campaigns, and hosting workshops all require funding and personnel. NTCA will need to explore partnerships with local organizations, businesses, and government agencies to secure the necessary resources.

Finally, the success of these efforts depends on the active participation of stakeholders at all levels. Ensuring consistent engagement from students, parents, educators, and policymakers will require clear communication, strong leadership, and a commitment to long-term collaboration.

Alignment with Existing Trends: Our recommendations complement the growing emphasis on leveraging federal funding, such as Michigan's $362 million broadband allocation, by providing actionable steps for communities to maximize these resources. Educational workshops and local advocacy toolkits reinforce trends in empowering communities to take charge of their digital futures

Divergence or Innovation: Unlike traditional broadband expansion initiatives, our recommendations propose creative solutions like TikTok and Instagram campaigns to engage younger audiences. By incorporating storytelling and authentic community voices, we address the motivational and behavioral aspects that traditional strategies often overlook