A Grateful Goodbye

This column is different than the others I’ve written over the years, because it’s my last as CEO of NTCA. When I began working at NTCA nearly 40 years ago, “broadband” wasn’t a household word. “Universal service,” while a longtime national goal, was a concept more than a mission. And “rural America” was too often an afterthought in conversations about connectivity.

Over the course of my career, I have watched the industry transform and a movement grow, powered by NTCA’s small, community-based providers. These providers are determined to bring advanced broadband to the communities they call home, even in places where the maps say it couldn’t be done and the economics didn’t work. Every day, they do the extraordinary, proving what is possible when community comes first.

I’ve been honored to witness that perseverance firsthand. I’ve seen providers work through the night after storms so families could reconnect with loved ones. Thanks to their hard work building Smart Rural Communities, students in small towns can access educational opportunities far beyond their county lines. Farmers, small businesses, and entrepreneurs use their fiber connections to grow, compete, and thrive—without leaving the places they love.

Broadband is about more than technology. It’s access to health care, education, safety, and economic opportunities. It’s the ability to stay rooted while reaching outward. And at its core, it’s about people, the NTCA members who make connectivity possible and the customers they proudly serve.

When I reflect on my many years with NTCA, I think about all of the people who shaped not only my journey, but the story of rural America itself. The CEOs who started out on construction crews or at finance desks, the family-owned companies now in their 4th generations, co-op boards that hold community meetings in gymnasiums, NTCA staff who pour every ounce of passion into serving members, and the federal partners who understand what makes rural broadband so special.

As I step into my next chapter, I do so with deep gratitude for the providers who serve with heart, communities that refuse to settle for “just good enough,” and Americans who know that high‑quality connectivity is not a luxury but a necessity.

Thank you for reminding me every day why this work matters.

By Shirley Bloomfield, CEO
NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association