SEMO Electric Cooperative hosted Tim Arbeiter, the state of Missouri’s director of broadband development, for a round table discussion to discuss the expansion of broadband in Missouri. Representative Holly Rehder, the University of Missouri’s Abner Womack, professor emeritus of the Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute, and representatives from four local school districts were among the guests.
Arbeiter said he wanted to visit SEMO Electric to learn about the cooperative’s success with GoSEMO Fiber and how the state could leverage the co-op’s experience to help other areas in Missouri. “Today was great,” said Arbeiter. “Today was an opportunity to hear about the continued struggles as it relates to broadband deployment in Missouri.” In addition to the round table, Arbeiter toured SEMO Electric’s fiber operations to gain a better understanding of the resources required to deploy a fiber-to-the-home project. His position was established in 2018 as a partnership between the Department of Economic Development and the Department of Agriculture to build and strengthen partnerships between public and private stakeholders and align efforts statewide to improve broadband access.