At the 2025 NTCA Fall Conference, NTCA CEO Shirley Bloomfield announced the winners of the 2025 Smart Rural Community Showcase Awards, presented annually to rural broadband providers who not only provide high-quality, reliable connectivity, but who also have led the way on collaborative and innovative projects that advance the communities they serve.
The Smart Rural Community program is a network of more than 290 communities across a wide swath of rural America supported by NTCA member providers who are committed to driving growth through robust broadband service. The Showcase Awards are presented to providers in recognition of their extraordinary achievements in promoting rural broadband networks and innovative applications that create opportunities for the educators, health care providers, farmers, small business owners, public safety professionals and others who help their communities thrive.
One of the eight winners in 2025 was West Carolina from Abbeville, South Carolina. After Hurricane Helene hit West Carolina’s service territory, the co-op turned its offices into hubs where community members could charge their devices, connect to the internet and contact loved ones. Customers came to pay bills, students logged in to complete assignments and families used video calls to check on one another. The lobbies were filled with neighbors helping neighbors — connected not just by broadband, but by community.
West Carolina also stepped up to ensure that Self Regional Healthcare facility and Anderson County Emergency Services had the connectivity needed to provide emergency assistance.
Being a Smart Rural Community is about more than just broadband. It’s about showing up, staying connected, and building resilience together, no matter what comes your way, which West Carolina knows all too well.
Click here for the full list of 2025 recipients.