Dear Friends,

If you look up the meaning of the word “Connections” in the dictionary, it says “something that joins or connects two or more things; a situation in which two or more things have the same cause, origin, goal, etc.” So, what does that all mean and how can we correlate this to business, and the work that we do?

To me, this means that you cannot expect to be successful unless you work together on a common goal. That to make an impact, you must rely on each other and find something – anything – that can connect your goals with someone else’s to be successful. Sometimes the end result is all you need to make that bond and you find yourself working with people you never thought possible, because you both want to same thing.

When I look at all we have achieved in Chenango County since March 2020, I can affirm that this is exactly true. Regardless of who was at the helm, what we accomplished as a community was the result of collaboration and many hands working towards a common goal – survival and eventual resurgence.

I was invited to be on a panel discussion for the senior level professionals at United Health Services (UHS) at the Koffman Incubator Center in Binghamton last week. The session I was asked to be a part of was called "Collaborating for Equity & Integration”. Those of us asked to speak had experience in creating alliances, groups and committees to address the challenges of the pandemic. The discussion was in part about how to maintain these relationships and if we felt they would be sustainable in a post-pandemic world.

I was honored to join such a distinguished panel of community leaders for the afternoon. We had some great conversations about ways each of us reached out to others, created networks and support systems (many unconventional and non-traditional alliances), to meet the needs of our communities. We spoke about the relationships that were built, and how we thought these systems could continue and expand. The leaders from UHS wanted to know how they could help us achieve our goals and ideas we had on long term sustainability projects.

Like many discussions I am a part of these days, one topic seems to take the spotlight, and this panel discussion was no different. That is the issue of rural broadband and connectivity. It’s amazing how many times a week this issue comes up! I find myself going off on tangents with people when they ask “Why can’t we get better broadband? I don’t understand the issue” It’s a cause I am deeply involved with, and I can’t help but get very passionate about it. So, sorry to anyone that has found themselves listening as I preach from a soapbox on this topic.

This is not a new issue or problem for rural areas like ours. While the pandemic really shined a light on the inequities, organizations like Southern Tier 8 have been fighting this fight for over a decade.

It finally became “real” to our government officials, who were hearing stories from schools, parents, healthcare facilities and businesses that were trying to provide remote opportunities and struggled. I think back to the photos of children sitting outside of businesses trying to do their homework because they had no access at home. It’s sad that in 2021 we are still fighting this fight and that a worldwide pandemic finally prompted real action across the country! Sorry … soapbox.

As I sit here at my dining room table, I am listening to music streaming on my Echo Dot, working on my laptop and getting text messages and email on my phone. It sounds so easy, right? Well, I am fortunate that I just happen to live in a part of the Southern Tier that has some broadband access. I say that, but I also have two wi-fi extenders and a cell phone extender to accomplish this. Regardless of how I get access, I realize it’s an advantage that many families in our community do not have, and not necessarily because they can’t afford it. It’s because the opportunity isn’t available to them.

Part of the challenge of addressing broadband access and connectivity issues is the lack of data. While every one of us could share our own personal issues and share where we do and do not have service, we lack clear and concise data to support our claims that broadband in our area just stinks. Despite what the FCC maps say, despite what the government says – New York State is NOT 98% covered (that number is laughable and erroneously incorrect), we know we have a problem.

Finally, there is something that YOU can do to help.

Partnered with our friends at Southern Tier 8, the Regional Broadband Collaborative has launched a brand new program. It will get us the data we need to support our claim that broadband in the Southern Tier is insufficient and that we have a real inequity problem. The program is called “The Better Connection Program” and you can find out more at https://betterconnection.org/.

Less than two minutes of your time will make a powerful impact in our crusade to get all of us a “better connection” to broadband. I did the test myself this morning, before I started working, to make sure that my home is on the map and my speed test is logged. If you want to be counted, you need to participate.

To learn more about this program, we invite you to join us on June 30, 2021 at 7:00 p.m. through the Southern Tier 8 Facebook page for a free, live event! This live event is happening later in the day because we want you in your home while participating and doing the speed test so we can gather the results.

How will the data we collect help our cause? It will raise awareness to our local, state, and federal leaders with factual data about the inconsistent service in the Southern Tier. We will be able to use the compiled statistics to apply for funding, we can use the results to attract more providers and, should you opt in, you will have the option of being kept “in the loop” for future updates.

We need to work together to address this issue. We have a common goal, a common cause, something to unite us. Less than two minutes of your time could have a lifelong impact on our future. Find out more online and I hope you can join us this week for our live event.

Looking forward to “connecting” with you, Chenango.

~ Kerri