VIENNA, VA – October 14, 2019 – Declaration Networks Group (DNG), was recently mentioned in Microsoft President Brad Smith’s new book, “Tools and Weapons: The Promise of Peril of the Digital Age.”
In Chapter 9, “Rural Broadband: The Electricity of the 21st Century,” Smith focuses on the challenges of the digital divide. He writes, “Broadband has become the electricity of the twenty-first century. It’s fundamental to the way people work, live and learn. The future of medicine is telemedicine. The future of education is online education. And the future of agriculture is precision farming. Even with a future where there is more computing intelligence ‘at the edge’ – meaning with ubiquitous small and powerful devices that process more data themselves – there still needs to be some high-speed access to the cloud. And that requires broadband.”
Smith specifically uses Ferry County in Washington State as the backdrop of the rural problem, with DNG referenced as the right Microsoft Airband partner to deliver a viable solution in this area. DNG is in the process of deploying a network in two Washington counties, Ferry and Stevens, through a mix of TV White Space and other fixed wireless technologies. In addition to being an Airband Partner, the company has also received FCC Connect America Fund II funding to support its effort in Washington.
U.S. Senator, Maria Cantwell (D-WA), said the following regarding the FCC’s rural broadband expansion program, “Every Washingtonian deserves equal access to educational, business, and employment opportunities, regardless of where they live in our state. This important investment in broadband will help provide families and business owners in Stevens County with equal access to high-speed internet and all the opportunities that come with it.” As part of the funding, DNG will provide broadband internet access to a portion of unserved homes and businesses in Stevens County in the next three years, and reach complete buildout in the sixth year.
The CAF II investment along with the Airband partnership will also assist DNG’s efforts in providing service to areas of Ferry County. Located in the northeastern corner of Washington State, Ferry County shares its northern boundary with Canada and its eastern boundary with the Columbia River. “Ferry County has a lot of needs, and we’re going to try address those,” said Bob Nichols, chief executive officer of DNG.
DNG has been providing fixed wireless service on the Eastern Shore of Virginia and in Garrett County, Maryland, for the past several years. In Garrett County, TV White Space has been an effective means of providing high-speed connectivity in difficult to reach locations. “We’ve got rocky soils, it’s pretty rugged terrain, it’s not easy or fast to get service to people here without some help,” said Cheryl DeBerry, who serves as the rural broadband project coordinator for Garrett County Economic Development.
In the company’s first market, the Eastern Shore of Virginia, DNG continues to expand its footprint with service areas now spanning parts of 60 miles from north to south. “Under our NeuBeam™ brand, we started the company with a mission to establish a model for the rural communities that do not have access to broadband to get access to broadband,” said Nichols.
About Declaration Networks & NeuBeam
Declaration Networks Group is an award-winning company that designs, builds and operates local broadband networks which connect residential and business customers with its NeuBeamTM high-speed internet, voice, and other services.