Today’s blog talks about volunteerism in the broadband/telecom industry. I was prompted to write the blog when a friend sent me the picture to the right of cookbooks published as a fundraiser by the Louisiana Chapter of the Telephone Pioneers of America. The Telephone Volunteers was a non-profit created by AT&T in 1911, first led by Theodore Vail, the famous AT&T president who oversaw the big growth of the company. The organization claims 800,000 members today. The Pioneers are organized into state and local chapters that tackle a wide range of local charitable causes. When I worked at Southwestern Bell, they gave employees one day off each year to participate in a non-profit activity organized by the Telephone Pioneers.

I know a lot of readers of this blog work for non-profits, and I know a number of people who donate time to broadband-related charitable causes. I’m involved in two non-profits in North Carolina, but this blog is not about me, but about the idea of using our accumulated industry knowledge to give back to the community.

I happen to live in an area in Western North Carolina which has very active broadband-related activities that are always looking for volunteers. There are groups here who refurbish smartphones, computers, and tablets to provide to those in the community who most need them. There are groups here who do hands-on digital training on how to use devices and apps, and how to navigate the Internet safely. There is a group here who provides smartphones and support for those getting out of long-term incarceration. There is a non-profit that advocates for policies that support broadband access. There is a lot of volunteer work in this region dedicated to resiliency and figuring out how to be better prepared for the next big storm.

I’m aware of many other volunteer efforts around the country. I know several people who help their local school systems navigate the E-Rate program to get funding for connectivity. There were a lot of people who volunteered to get households subscribed to the ACP program before Congress let the program lapse. I know several people who have been working for years to get affordable telephone rates in jails and prisons. There are several major cities with ad hoc wireless networks cobbled together by volunteers that provide broadband to households who can’t afford it.

I saw mountains of volunteers step forward in a lot of counties when they saw the opportunity to get faster broadband. There were people distributing and processing broadband surveys to understand community demand. There were a lot of people who worked on getting people to take speed tests for the map challenge processes. I witnessed a new cooperative being formed that was largely accomplished by dedicated volunteers. I remember working for cities where a lot of volunteers stepped up to pass ballot measures that authorized municipal broadband in their city.

Volunteerism is becoming increasingly important. Federal and state monies that were used to help people afford broadband have died or been cut back. I know many readers of this blog have a vast amount of telecom experience. If you have talents and haven’t thought about volunteering, you should consider it. There is a lot of fun to be had sitting in a room with a bunch of other tech geeks rebuilding computers. There is a lot of satisfaction from helping somebody learn how to safely use the Internet. You’ll probably never have more fun than an evening teaching computer safety to a group of older adults. No matter where you live, there is somebody nearby tackling broadband issues. If not, then start the effort!