by Roby Brock (roby@talkbusiness.net)
The state’s new broadband director, Glen Howie, has been on the job for a little over a month and he’s already gauging where Arkansas can excel even further with Internet connectivity. Howie, who comes to Arkansas from Louisiana, says the state has a “great story to tell.”
“Since 2020, the [broadband] office has awarded $392 million in grants, which is fantastic. That’s actually a number that would lead a lot of states and lead the nation in the amount that we’ve given out. But moving forward, we have to do more than that,” he said.
“When I’m on the road and I’m talking with folks and, I’ve said this from the very beginning, we can make Arkansas the most wired state in the country with fiber running to every single home and business across the state. But if our Arkansans can’t afford it, that’s a problem. Likewise, we can run the fiber, we can make it free, but if Arkansans don’t possess the digital literacy skills that they need to properly use the internet and computer and devices, or simply don’t understand the value that it can create for their lives and truly impact them, we need to work on that as well.”
