Getting all of Missouri connected goal of broadband conference next week

State officials are calling Tuesday's in-person "Connecting All Missourians" broadband summit in Jefferson City a "first-of-its-kind event."

BJ TanksleyMissouri Office of Broadband Development director

Cape Girardeau Central and SEMO graduate BJ Tanksley, director of the state's Office of Broadband Development, will help lead the summit and will be joined by Gov. Mike Parson and at least two other state officials.

Tanksley said the window is closing for stakeholders to apply for $265 million in government infrastructure funding.

"It's been fast and furious and we're taking applications which must be in by Thursday," said Tanksley, who succeeded another Cape Girardean, Tim Arbeiter, as state broadband chief in January. "We'll start reviewing and ranking those applications and we're on track to announce (monetary) awards before the end of December, so things are moving quite quickly."

Tanksley said next week's summit is the start of a statewide listening tour for broadband to "shape the creation of a five-year infrastructure plan and Missouri's Digital Equity Plan."

Kevin CantwellBig River Communications president

"I give credit to BJ for organizing his department in a way that hopes to eliminate Missouri's 'digital divide,'" said Kevin Cantwell, president of Cape Girardeau-based Big River Communications, whose broadband arm — Circle Fiber — has been working to connect subscribers in Jackson, Poplar Bluff and sections of Cape Girardeau.

Cantwell quoted from a white paper, "The Rural Digital Divide," in defining the term.

"The lack of adequate high speed broadband availability in rural areas compared to metropolitan areas has been a persistent challenge in North America," the document states. "The challenge exploded in importance as the pandemic forced nearly all interactions to be conducted from the home, further exposing the insufficiency of the broadband available in many rural areas. The result is lower productivity, lagging education, declining economic development opportunities and poorer health outcomes for rural residents."

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The Show Me State, according to comments made in November by former director Arbeiter, is 34th out of the nation's 50 states in terms of broadband access.

"I'd say that percentage still sounds right," Tanksley said. "The good news is (Missouri) has been moving up because not long ago we were ranked 42nd. We are making positive momentum."

Cantwell has the last word.

"If there is no broadband, there will be no new economic development. I will tell you, no new business will go into a location unless broadband is available. Technology is the driver. I hear this everyday from businesses and real estate agents."