AUGUSTA, Maine -- A telephone cooperative in two depressed Kentucky counties may have found a good path to economic development in poor rural areas -- through super-fast broadband.

The Peoples Rural Telephone Cooperative serves 18,000 people in Jackson and Owsley counties in Kentucky - one of the poorest areas in the country due to the collapse of coal mining. PRTC CEO Keith Gabbard said during the Great Recession, they moved to connect every home and business to the internet with gigabit-capable fiber.

He said it was very expensive, but it made possible a boom in tech support work with companies such as U-Haul and Apple.

"We've seen over 1,000 jobs created; work-from-home jobs," Gabbard said. "They have benefits. Some of these people are working for Apple, they're doing tech support for Apple. And all of them are paying more than a lot of the minimum-wage things that are available around here."

Gabbard said it cost $50 million, an average of $5,000 a mile, because it's especially expensive to wire the last mile to buildings. But he called it the best investment they've ever made. Along with the general improvement in the economy, broadband helped cut the unemployment rate by two-thirds -- from 16% at its peak to 5% now.

Like much of rural Maine, eastern Kentucky has suffered in recent years. Not only has it been hit by changes in the energy markets, it's also faced problems such as the opioid crisis.

Gabbard said areas with broadband tend to have better school test scores. And he said through telemedicine, they've been able to help local veterans skip the three-hour round trip to the nearest Veteran's Administration clinic in Lexington.

"We worked out a partnership with our local public library and we equipped a room," he said. "And now the veterans can actually have doctor appointments and go on there and talk to them via the computer."

About one-third of the money came from grants, 60% from loans and 10% from capital the co-op had saved, Gabbard said. He added that, with some help from their successful business as the local cell-service provider, the broadband venture has been able to meet its debt payments.


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Immigrant New Yorkers want lawmakers to create an unemployment bridge program.

It would support unemployed workers who are ineligible for state unemployment insurance by establishing a $500 million fund, providing monthly compensation equal to what other workers receive.

Beyond undocumented people, freelancers and self-employed workers would also be eligible.

Sol Freire Figueroa, labor campaigns director with New York Communities for Change, said this will take a lot of political will.

"Right now in the current environment, the immigration conversation has been a topic that not everyone is willing to talk about, or take care of," said Figueroa. "There are many things the immigrant community needs, and we need the willingness of leadership to stand up for the immigrant community."

While the program has statewide support from lawmakers, it's still a budding concept.

A bill establishing the program was brought before the state Legislature, but failed to advance out of committee.

Figueroa said the biggest source of opposition centers around its potential funding source - a digital ad tax from companies with annual gross revenue from these services of $100 million or more.

While the tax is being debated, it's expected to raise $1 billion for New York, with the unemployment bridge program costing half that.

The program stems from the pandemic-era Excluded Workers Fund which filled a similar role. Figueroa said given how the economy has changed, this program has been a long time coming.

"Considering we're living in an economy where we have more and more workers accessing jobs like working at Uber, or a delivery worker," said Figueroa. "They should be able to access this type of benefit as they are putting the hours in, they are putting the work in."

Once the bill passes the state Legislature and is signed by the governor, Figueroa estimated it could take a year to get the program started.




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Federal investments are helping the city of Boston develop greater workforce training programs.

The city received $23 million in 2022 to develop pathways into quality child care, health care and energy jobs.

Trinh Nguyen, chief of worker empowerment for the City of Boston, said city officials knew they needed to focus on getting communities of color and women into well-paying careers.

"We also knew that there are very motivated, talented Boston residents who don't have a bachelor's degree that can meet employers' demand up and down the supply chain," Nguyen explained.

Nguyen pointed out about 2,800 Greater Boston residents have enrolled in the workforce training program. Already, more than 1,000 graduates have secured employment with benefits and opportunities for upward mobility.

In Boston, a significant focus has been child care, a sector in which young people are not filling positions quickly enough as more experienced providers retire.

Nguyen noted too often young people simply do not have the information they need to learn about training and licensure opportunities or where a job in child care could ultimately lead.

"You really have to go into the community and really inform about career pathways in child care," Nguyen observed. "We want to make sure that we have child care workers that reflect the diversity of the clientele for child care."

Nguyen added a stable and secure child care workforce is crucial to the region's future economic growth and that city officials are working with more than 100 employers to secure well-paid jobs for training program graduates. The training is made possible through the federal Good Jobs Challenge program, created through the American Rescue Plan.

For some, apprenticeships provide more than just a job, they offer a career path.

Industry leaders are working around the clock, not only on their day jobs but also to recruit the next generation seeking an alternate path to traditional college.

Jason Strickland, business manager for United Association Local 803, which represents plumbing, pipe fitting, and HVAC professionals in Central Florida, stepped out of his job fair to share how the program changed his life.

"I come from a family where there would be days I would come home and the power people would cut the power off where the locks would get put on the water because my folks couldn't pay all the bills all the time," Strickland recounted. "And now I don't have those same worries and my kids don't have those same worries because I got benefits. I got retirement. I got good training."

Strickland emphasized apprenticeship programs are essential for meeting the growing demand for skilled labor in the Sunshine State. He noted they are using social media to connect with younger generations and share opportunities in the trades. National Apprenticeship Week marked its 10th anniversary last week.

Glenn Kelly, Southern regional representative for North America's Building Trades Unions, prides himself on showcasing how apprenticeship programs offer hands-on-training while allowing participants to earn a living wage.

"We make sure that people understand that you can work with these hands and be able to have a good career for yourselves, make a good livable wage, a good sustainable career," Kelly outlined. "You can have opportunity to be able to retire with dignity. "

To explore a network of apprenticeship opportunities, individuals can learn more from Apprenticeship Florida, which provides access to navigators and resources for both employers and apprentices, all offered through CareerSource Florida and the Florida Department of Education.


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