Think Smart Community Initiatives Only Make Sense in Urban Areas? Think Again — The RANGE Is Building a Sustainable Future in the Texas Panhandle

Photo Credit: Bill Maguire

Last month, I connected with Dr. Matt Garner, Executive Director of The RANGE, and Jacob Cates, The RANGE’s Digital Initiatives Coordinator, to discuss why and how “smart community” initiatives are critically important for rural areas — not just cities. The RANGE is building a platform for long-term regional growth in the Texas Panhandle and provides an exciting example of an emerging rural economic development initiative designed to leverage targeted efforts to expand innovation and connectivity.

In this post, I have summarized a wide-ranging and important conversation with Dr. Garner and Cates about the urgent need to invest in broadband deployment in unserved areas, invest in broadband adoption initiatives, build partnerships, and stem the tide of economic and population decline in the region.

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