Business Is Booming

Speaker1: [00:00:02] Business is booming from the small mom and pops to the big industries, our local businesses drive our economy and provide the products, services and jobs we depend on. Our host, Jennifer [00:00:15] McCurdy, brings us these stories as she visits with the business owners and leaders of Fort Payne and DeKalb County, Alabama. And now here's Jennifer.

Speaker2: [00:00:25] Welcome, Brandy Lyles with Farmers Telecommunications Cooperative. [00:00:30] Brandy is the executive vice president of Marketing and Public Relations, where she has been at Farmers for, drum roll, please, 20 years this year. Congratulations, Brandy.

Speaker3: [00:00:43] Thank you.

Speaker2: [00:00:44] I [00:00:45] asked Brandy to join me today because one of the most significant aspects in business, specifically in today's society is broadband and accessibility. And I have to say Farmers, [00:01:00] which we're going to call FTC for short, which is what they're mostly known for, is in the forefront of bringing broadband to our community, rural Alabama. And I'm going to let Brandy talk a little bit about first yourself, Brandy, [00:01:15] how you got into the telecommunications world and where you started and where you are today.

Speaker3: [00:01:23] Okay. Thank you. I joined FTC in 2002 and I had recently [00:01:30] graduated college, but I did have a year of experience with Coca Cola Enterprises before I joined the FTC family. And it has been such a joy to be there, and it's been amazing to watch how broadband [00:01:45] has impacted the community. And I guess as a company, what we're providing. We started our fiber buildout in 2007 and we recently completed the main [00:02:00] buildout of all of our current service area. We overbuilt our entire service area with fiber and we're 100% fiber as of December of 2021. So this is very, very exciting.

Speaker2: [00:02:11] So comparatively, how does that compare to the rest of the state? [00:02:15]

Speaker3: [00:02:15] Well, recently, the ADECA, which is the Alabama Department of Economic Community Affairs, invested in a map, a broadband map, a state broadband map. I [00:02:30] wish you could see it, obviously with a podcast. You can't see that, but you can go online and look for that. The Alabama broadband map and it is dark blue in the very top right corner. So DeKalb, Jackson and Marshall Counties because we [00:02:45] provide gig services. And then there's just a very few spotty pockets of dark blue throughout the state, which would be in your bigger cities like Huntsville, Mobile, Montgomery, Birmingham. But it's very sparse [00:03:00] across the state. So it's visually is great to see and we're super excited about that. And actually we were the first widely deployed gig provider in the state. There was one other company [00:03:15] in Opelika that had launched gig services before us, but we. Had a widely deployed gig network at that time.

Speaker2: [00:03:27] So talking about a gig network, we are [00:03:30] a smart, rural community. And what does that mean?

Speaker3: [00:03:33] Okay. We were designated as a small rural community in 2018 and we're a member of the National Broadband Association. And this is a program that they have began so that [00:03:45] we, as independent telecommunications providers across the country, can band together with a similar message and brand. And we wanted to be a national [00:04:00] brand and recognizable for, I guess, the whole entire United States to see we use that for advocacy purposes in Capitol Hill, but we also use it to promote our communities because the [00:04:15] independent telecommunications companies are on the forefront of providing these broadband networks and gig services that your bigger companies are not doing across the state. And so it's [00:04:30] just to help recognize these independent companies for doing what we do is providing value in our communities.

Speaker2: [00:04:39] 100% and let's give Fred Johnson a little plug real quick. You can't go [00:04:45] to Montgomery without, first of all, broadband being talked about because it's such a huge it's important for the entire Alabama, every state. And Fred has really been a leader. And before people [00:05:00] were even talking about broadband or considering it, he was already thinking about it. Can you talk a little bit about that? You said 2007, so.

Speaker3: [00:05:08] Oh, yes. I mean, it's so funny how we broke ground in 2007 and [00:05:15] you just I personally didn't realize what it all meant in 2007. And it's so magnificent to go back and look how far we've come over those years. But Fred has been instrumental in working with our [00:05:30] state legislators on policy that will help bring broadband to the rural areas of Alabama. And he keeps harping on that. Let's make sure that we create policy that will get [00:05:45] broadband to the areas that are that are unserved. And those are the areas that we need to go to first, and not in not only serving those areas, but also finding that component that makes it affordable for consumers. [00:06:00]

Speaker2: [00:06:01] I'm going to go back just a little bit to the. Rural access, I think. And this is huge, too. And you and I have been to several conferences together with telemedicine. The rural areas are underserved when it with [00:06:15] health care in general and to be able to have services through telehealth for those small rural communities that really can't sustain a physician or a hospital, that's huge. So do you have any any comments [00:06:30] on that as well?

Speaker3: [00:06:31] Yes. You know, telehealth, because of the COVID 19 pandemic has really become in the forefront as well. And it opened that open the eyes for a lot of people, but it also open the [00:06:45] doors for telehealth in Alabama. And so now people can make telehealth appointments. They can see their specialist in Birmingham or Huntsville, the larger cities, and they don't have to take a [00:07:00] day off work to drive. And so and all of these people may not even have transportation to drive to the larger cities to see specialists. And it's been huge, I know, from our veterans and [00:07:15] anyone that seeing a specialist but also you can, you know, dial in, you know, for telehealth, for mental health. Yeah. And I think that has been critical during the pandemic. And so I really [00:07:30] am grateful of how our doors are open and we can now just use our smartphones and talk with the doctor.

Speaker2: [00:07:40] I know. I love it. I think some things that did come out of COVID would be [00:07:45] more of a sense of urgency for things like telehealth. You know, we've been talking about it for years.

Speaker3: [00:07:50] But and I think people have been reluctant to transition to that because it was a new way of doing things.

Speaker2: [00:07:57] Yeah.

Speaker3: [00:07:57] And, you know, it's just easier [00:08:00] to do things the way you've always done it. And so but this pushed us in that direction and required us to make changes and adapt. And I think it's for the good.

Speaker2: [00:08:12] Yeah, we needed that, there's no doubt about that. [00:08:15] And also I think COVID also. With remote working.

Speaker3: [00:08:21] That's been a life changer.

Speaker2: [00:08:22] Oh, my gosh. Hey, I think that we I was so thankful that FTC had already positioned us well [00:08:30] ahead of many other communities, especially rural communities, for people to be able to work from home. That was an option here because we were already ready for it.

Speaker3: [00:08:39] We were already connected. And we received some positive comments about that. We received [00:08:45] a heartfelt letter and it was from a gentleman that worked for TVA. So he was working from home. His wife was a teacher, and she was one that. Provide a tutoring for [00:09:00] the Chinese, you know, English teaching how to speak English. And then they had their kids at home, you know, with remote learning and their Internet connection. They didn't miss a beat.

Speaker2: [00:09:13] Right.

Speaker3: [00:09:13] And so that [00:09:15] was huge.

Speaker2: [00:09:16] Well, and speaking of that, though, while you all did so much during COVID with Wi-Fi hotspots.

Speaker3: [00:09:20] Absolutely.

Speaker2: [00:09:21] And accessibility might have been there, but maybe not affordability. Right. But there are now. And there was then. But even more so now, I think affordability options [00:09:30] through FTC. Can you talk about that?

Speaker3: [00:09:32] Yes. And let me go back to those hot spots for a minute. So we during COVID, we launched 25 different hotspots throughout, you know, Marshall, DeKalb and Jackson County so that students or just the community that needed [00:09:45] access, they can go to these places and use wi fi hotspots for free. So what we currently have for affordability is the Affordable Connectivity Program, and that is through the FCC. And so it was a $30 per month [00:10:00] discount for those that qualify. And so you can go on our website at farmerstel.com/acp, and you can find all that information and see if you would be eligible for this program. [00:10:15] And I foresee that this program will last for a long time. We had some different programs before this one that has. It was just part of the recovery program during the pandemic. [00:10:30] And now they have transitioned to this. So.

Speaker2: [00:10:34] So Brandy. What's going on now with farmers? What's your next step? I've always got something in the pipeline which you got going do.

Speaker3: [00:10:42] So ADECA has created a new branch, [00:10:45] which is the Alabama Digital Expansion Division. The idea created a map, and we are reviewing that map to look at the areas that are currently underserved. And the state has deemed any area that cannot receive 100 [00:11:00] megabits per second download and 20 megabits per second upload as underserved. So any of those areas we're evaluating and seeing if it's feasible for FTC to seek funding to build out to those areas.

Speaker2: [00:11:13] So how many areas [00:11:15] do you feel that we have? Is it significant in our area, in DeKalb County?

Speaker3: [00:11:20] It's not. We've got small pockets of areas and those are the very rural areas. So when we set our mission out in 2007 to build out fiber, it was [00:11:30] Fred's vision that we would serve all the areas of importance for economic development. So he was not going to let you know an economic development opportunity to be passed by because of the [00:11:45] lack of broadband. So we were sure to build throughout our cities and towns in the counties that we serve and also to all the industrial parks.

Speaker2: [00:11:59] Brandy I [00:12:00] can say without a doubt FTC has been such an instrumental part of business recruitment and remote work really in Fort Paine. I know people would not be here at all without our broadband services and we appreciate that so much. I will say everything [00:12:15] does revolve around it. I mean logistics. Everything. Speed is of the essence. And we're so thankful for all you all do for our community. Not just broadband, but let's let's be real here, Brandy. FTC is just a great partner. [00:12:30] We can reach out to you all for anything we need. You're very available. You're receptive to ideas, to any partnerships that we have, whether it be workforce development, business growth, business retention. We appreciate that so much. [00:12:45] So thank you for all you do. And do you have anything you'd like to add?

Speaker3: [00:12:51] If you're interested in looking at the broadband map to see coverage, you can go to broadband.alabama.gov and it will give you a depiction [00:13:00] of the areas that are served and unserved. And you can also submit information if you are interested in receiving service. But FTC also has a website which is connectfarmerstel.com. So if you cannot get service from us, you are welcome [00:13:15] to go in there and see if service is available. Number one, if it isn't available, put your information in there because we use those maps to determine the areas that we're going to serve next.

Speaker2: [00:13:27] Awesome. Thanks, Brandy.

Speaker3: [00:13:28] Well, thank you. We want [00:13:30] to be recognized as a community partner. You know, we want to improve the lives of those we serve, our communities. We want to make them better every day. And so that's what we think we're doing. We think we're building a better world by providing [00:13:45] broadband for DeKalb, Jackson and Marshall County.

Speaker2: [00:13:48] You absolutely are. And I can say without a doubt, you're a very significant part of the growth of our area. And we appreciate that.

Speaker3: [00:13:55] Thank you.

Speaker2: [00:13:56] So, Brandi, one last question. What is the most [00:14:00] funny thing that's ever happened to you at FTC? Does it revolve around Facebook Live? You have to share it.

Speaker3: [00:14:09] No. It just keeps haunting me. Haunting me and haunting me. It haunted [00:14:15] me earlier this week. Matter of fact. So Facebook Live is not our friend.

Speaker2: [00:14:21] Brandi is a terrible with Facebook Live and she admits it.

Speaker3: [00:14:25] My whole department is terrible. I mean, we're marketing and PR. We should be good, we [00:14:30] should be professional. And then we turn on Facebook Live and it's like we lose our mind, everything.

Speaker3: [00:14:35] We don't know what happens. I get the nervous giggles every single time. I can't even get words out because I'm laughing. And then. We're [00:14:45] like a train wreck. I mean, we drove off the cliff the last Facebook Live. But we have to do it because we give away door prizes every day.

Speaker2: [00:14:53] And so not every day, but during your annual.

Speaker3: [00:14:56] Yes, sorry. During our annual meeting.

Speaker2: [00:14:58] And that's that would be good everyday [00:15:00] wouldn't it.

Speaker3: [00:15:01] But that's the only time we do Facebook Live is the one time of year because no one likes to say that train wreck every day. And so we give out those door prizes every afternoon at the end of the day and we're a disaster.

Speaker2: [00:15:14] So [00:15:15] but but it does make for good entertainment. I always look forward to that week because you I'll look forward to those takes in the afternoon that says, okay, it's done, we're up and live and again, train wreck. So go ahead and watch it.

Speaker3: [00:15:27] Oh, yeah. So you can expect a train [00:15:30] wreck year after year. If we're on the camera. It's going to be a train wreck.

Speaker2: [00:15:35] But it's fun to watch.

Speaker3: [00:15:37] Like nervous cats on there, according to my department.

Speaker2: [00:15:42] Well, thank you so much for joining me, Brandy.

Speaker3: [00:15:44] Thank you. It [00:15:45] was a joy to be here.

Speaker2: [00:15:46] Good. I'll talk to you soon. Thanks for tuning in. Today, you can always visit our website fortpaynechamber.com To find a listing of all of our businesses and events that are happening through the Chamber of Commerce. We hope to see you next time.

Speaker1: [00:16:01] You've [00:16:00] been listening to Business Is Booming, a podcast brought to you by Fort Payne Chamber of Commerce. The host is Chamber Director Jennifer McCurdy. Executive Producer Stephen Smith with assistant producer [00:16:15] Emily Kirby. Our engineer is Lucas Smith of Lucky Sound Studios. Business is Booming is a production of Rare Life Media.