Key Highlights and Takeaways Include: 

• Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) received the inaugural Smart Rural CommunitySM Champion Award for being a passionate advocate for connecting small communities across Minnesota for more than a decade. 
• FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks shared perspectives on broadband affordability and universal service, and panelists shared success stories and ideas to help grow more Smart Rural Communities across the country. 
• Several panelists discussed how critical storytelling is in broadband development. Sharing with your community how broadband positively impacts local healthcare clinics, economic development, and even innovative services like Airbnb in rural areas can help garner support and resources from policymakers. 
• The speakers also shared various tools and resources NTCA has developed to help members differentiate themselves and support their communities. These resources include toolkits for workforce development, digital inclusion initiatives and reports on rural economic development indicators, for more information about these tools, click here. 

Visit www.smartruralcommunity.org to find resources you can begin implementing today and check out the full recording of the Smart Communities in Conversation event.