Allow me to take a moment to send along prayers, strength, and comfort to our countless Members, Affiliates, and Associates from Florida to Virginia, and all regions in between, who have been impacted by hurricanes recently. The devastation and impact on thousands are beyond words. I will continue to keep you in my thoughts.

Over the last 45 days, I enjoyed seeing many of you in September at both our West Meeting in Carlsbad, CA, and the East Meeting in New Orleans, LA. Nearly 300 attended each meeting.

To kick-start both Fall Meetings, I was pleased to virtually introduce Kurt Krogull, Professor at the University of Kansas, who has been instrumental in assisting us with the launch of the “Making Surety A Career” program during the 2024 spring term. My conversation with Kurt provided insights into the curriculum he is teaching, thoughts on the future expansion of this program to other schools, and the benefits to be gained down the road. Behind the scenes, we are continuing our efforts to formalize a standardized “Education Kit” that will allow us to expand this program in 2025. We all know that the anonymity of surety as a career cannot remain if suretyship is to secure a vibrant, bright future.

Another hot topic at our meetings included a panel session, “Bonds for Broadband Infrastructure Buildout: Learn How the Industry Responded.” It was presented at both Fall meetings with NASBP Director of Government Relations Larry LeClair serving as the moderator. The panelists included Robert Duke of Markel Surety, Quinn Jordan of the Mississippi Broadband Association, and Stephen Rae of Liberty Mutual Surety.

The panelists walked us through the last seven and a half years in terms of how this $42.5B funding package has evolved. In late July, NASBP and SFAA contacted all state broadband offices making those offices aware of The Broadband Kit. Our message to the states was the following: The Broadband Kit includes bond forms addressing the recent NTIA announcement that surety bonds should be accepted to guarantee the construction of the broadband infrastructure. This development will help expand broadband infrastructure investments, particularly in rural and underserved areas.

This additional security option, instead of letters of credit (LOCs), will benefit small internet service providers (ISPs) who are having difficulty securing LOCs. Most importantly, state broadband offices and taxpayers will have added protection because the surety company will only furnish a bond to those it believes can complete the work successfully based on the surety’s prequalification process. In comparison, a bank issuing an LOC does not evaluate the contractor’s ability to perform the work. Accepting surety bonds in the BEAD Program promises significant benefits for small ISPs, state broadband offices, and taxpayers, making it a promising initiative. Please share The Broadband Kit with your BEAD Program grantees.

Please consider contacting your state broadband office, deliver a similar message as noted above, and provide the link to the BEAD Bond Kit (https://nasbp.org/advocate/bead-program-kit). It is important for state officials to also hear about this matter from the constituents that they serve. See photos from Fall Meetings above and in the related article in this issue.