On this episode of Connected Nation, we begin our coverage from Mountain Connect, a broadband conference that is celebrating its 10th anniversary. The theme this year is "Beyond the bandwidth, the power of broadband revolutionizing access."

We begin by answering a simple the question - what does a small ISP do if it needs big equipment? Plus, find out why having a strong broadband resume is more important now than ever before.

Related links:
Mountain Connect
ABS Rents
KLJ Engineering & Planning

Mountain Connect 2024 series
Opening episode
The Internet Equity Initiative and connecting the most remote, inhabited island in Michigan
The high-tech (and dangerous) broadband job that some say needs regulation now
Nokia's Network in a Box and the one thing most people get wrong about the company
Key partnerships, digital equity, and the Illinois Broadband Lab
BEAM's leadership on broadband expansion and accessibility across Mississippi
How BroadbandOhio is navigating BEAD

On this episode of Connected Nation, we talk with Tony Grayson – a man who has held leadership roles at such tech giants as Amazon, Facebook, and Oracle – roles that are perhaps eclipsed by his time as a submarine captain.

We’ll explore his new approach to closing the Digital Divide in America; look at the  challenges of providing resources for growing needs of AI; and share how the skills of our nation’s veterans can be better understood within and applied to high-tech jobs in the civilian workplace.

Related links:
Tony Grayson’s LinkedIn - NOTE: Veterans, active military, and transitioning military are invited to connect with Tony directly.
Compass Datacenters

On today’s podcast, we talk with the CEO of DigitalC, a company that’s offering lightning fast-internet to anyone in its service area for just 18-dollars a month, for five years! The service is 100 Mbps download and 100 Mbps upload speeds.
 
 Find out how that’s been made possible through a unique partnership. Plus, we’ll explore the community approach DigitalC takes – that’s setting it apart from other, much larger I-S-P’s.

Recommended Links:
DigitalC Website

On this episode of Connected Nation, we conclude our coverage from the National Association of Counties' (NACo) Conference and Exposition. 

We sit down with NACo's Legislative Director of Telecommunications and Technology and cover everything from county broadband needs to developing a toolkit on AI for county leaders. 

Related links:
NACo website
The County Compass - an AI toolkit for county leaders

Special series episodes list:
Inside that National Association of Counties Annual Conference - Ep. 25
Inside NACo - what Black leaders say their communities need - Ep. 26
Inside NACo - talking collaboration, counties, and...corgis? - Ep. 27
Inside NACo - two innovations that can make your life more stress free - Ep. 28
Inside NACo - how USDA Rural Development supports county leaders - Ep. 29
Inside NACo - from the "science of where" to casinos everywhere - Ep. 30
Inside NACo - covering what county leaders should know about AI, cybersecurity, and more - Ep. 31 (current)

On this special episode of Connected Nation, we talk with the head of government solutions for Esri; the national director for the public sector at Big Health; and a leader for Tunica County, Mississippi about the unique needs of his county, which includes six casinos.

Related links:
Esri
Big Health
Tunica County, Mississippi

Special series episodes list:
Inside that National Association of Counties Annual Conference - Ep. 25
Inside NACo - what Black leaders say their communities need - Ep. 26
Inside NACo - talking collaboration, counties, and...corgis? - Ep. 27
Inside NACo - two innovations that can make your life more stress free - Ep. 28
Inside NACo - how USDA Rural Development supports county leaders - Ep. 29
Inside NACo - from the "science of where" to casinos everywhere - Ep. 30 (current)
Inside NACo - covering what county leaders should know about AI, cybersecurity, and more - Ep. 31

On this episode of Connected Nation, we talk to the IT Director of Kent County, Delaware about what can be done to help transient populations. We also sit down with a representative from USDA Rural Development about what the organization can do to help rural areas do everything from improve their infrastructure to navigate the federal grant proces. 

Related links:
USDA Rural Development
Kent County, Delaware

Special series episodes list:
Inside that National Association of Counties Annual Conference - Ep. 25
Inside NACo - what Black leaders say their communities need - Ep. 26
Inside NACo - talking collaboration, counties, and...corgis? - Ep. 27
Inside NACo - two innovations that can make your life more stress free - Ep. 28
Inside NACo - how USDA Rural Development supports county leaders - Ep. 29 (current)
Inside NACo - from the "science of where" to casinos everywhere - Ep. 30
Inside NACo - covering what county leaders should know about AI, cybersecurity, and more - Ep. 31

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 Solutions
NACo's Achievement Award winners for 2024

Special series episodes list:
Inside that National Association of Counties Annual Conference - Ep. 25
Inside NACo - what Black leaders say their communities need - Ep. 26
Inside NACo - talking collaboration, counties, and...corgis? - Ep. 27
Inside NACo - two innovations that can make your life more stress free - Ep. 28 (current) 
Inside NACo - how USDA Rural Development supports county leaders - Ep. 29
Inside NACo - from the "science of where" to casinos everywhere - Ep. 30
Inside NACo - covering what county leaders should know about AI, cybersecurity, and more - Ep. 31

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 Software
Columbia County, Florida

Special series episodes list:
Inside that National Association of Counties Annual Conference - Ep. 25
Inside NACo - what Black leaders say their communities need - Ep. 26
Inside NACo - talking collaboration, counties, and...corgis? - Ep. 27 (current) 
Inside NACo - two innovations that can make your life more stress free - Ep. 28
Inside NACo - how USDA Rural Development supports county leaders - Ep. 29
Inside NACo - from the "science of where" to casinos everywhere - Ep. 30
Inside NACo - covering what county leaders should know about AI, cybersecurity, and more - Ep. 31

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.

Related links:
National Organization of Black County Officials (NOBCO)
Shelby County, Tennessee
Wayne County, Michigan

Special series episodes list:
Inside that National Association of Counties Annual Conference - Ep. 25
Inside NACo - what Black leaders say their communities need - Ep. 26 (current)
Inside NACo - talking collaboration, counties, and...corgis? - Ep. 27
Inside NACo - two innovations that can make your life more stress free - Ep. 28
Inside NACo - how USDA Rural Development supports county leaders - Ep. 29
Inside NACo - from the "science of where" to casinos everywhere - Ep. 30
Inside NACo - covering what county leaders should know about AI, cybersecurity, and more - Ep. 31

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 Rico
Finley Engineering, Inc.
Agile Fleet

Special series episodes list:
Inside that National Association of Counties Annual Conference - Ep. 25 (current)
Inside NACo - what Black leaders say their communities need - Ep. 26
Inside NACo - talking collaboration, counties, and...corgis? - Ep. 27
Inside NACo - two innovations that can make your life more stress free - Ep. 28
Inside NACo - how USDA Rural Development supports county leaders - Ep. 29
Inside NACo - from the "science of where" to casinos everywhere - Ep. 30
Inside NACo - covering what county leaders should know about AI, cybersecurity, and more - Ep. 31