(upbeat music)
So one of the biggest problems that we face
in America right now is getting everyone
connected to the internet,
modern telecommunications networks.
And especially in rural America,
closing what we call the rural digital divide.
In my research studies, the economics of how we do this,
the technical challenges that we face in doing this,
and also a lot of the political dynamics
that we need to overcome
if we want to get everyone connected to the internet
Telecommunications touches on every aspect of modern life.
We actually in rural America have different needs
to get out of the internet,
different technological configurations,
different social needs, different economic needs.
So one of the things I'm working to understand and overcome
in my research is how do we get these needs
reflected into the regulatory tools
when those tools are really focused on
letting those in rural America
use the networks in the same way as those in urban America.
Hello everyone!
How are you guys doing?
Good.
One of the big issues that we face here in Nebraska
is the flight from rural America to urban America.
By building out networks, we're creating greater opportunity
for people to stay in their home towns,
to help the local communities continue to grow and thrive,
and to give something that people want to come back to,
to help with economic prosperity.
So I'm trying to bring folks from DC,
researchers doing national scale of research,
here to Nebraska,
to interact with the user base on the ground,
and the companies on the ground
to understand how are things different,
what are the real problems?
So instead of doing my own research,
I'm trying to really influence the research
that's being done globally and on a national scale.
Nebraska is really one of the best places in the country
that you can be studying these questions
because we're in rural America.
I get to go out and talk to people.
I get to go into the fields and actually see
wireless connected combines,
and talk to the people using them,
and hear about what their problems are.
You can't do that anywhere but rural America.
So it's really a great opportunity to be doing
this sort of research in this community, in this state.
