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.
Smart Connected Community provider Home Telecom out of Moncks Corner, South Carolina, was one of eight 2025 Showcase Award winners. To help bridge the digital divide in South Carolina’s Lowcountry, Home Telecom deployed SmartTown community Wi-Fi networks to ensure students have access to broadband outside of school.
Home also helped the Berkeley Chamber of Commerce launch several community resource hubs that offer hands-on training and workshops, teaching students and families internet basics, cybersecurity, digital safety, and responsible online behavior. Some of these classes are designed and taught by Home Telecom employees.
Home Telecom is showing what it truly means to be a Smart Connected Community. Its work goes beyond broadband, opening doors and ensuring families in the Lowcountry have the tools to thrive in a connected world.
Click here for the full list of 2025 recipients.