The Magnolia State continues to plant the seeds for BEAD success and beyond

Broadband Expansion and Access of Mississippi (BEAM), Mississippi’s state broadband office, has charted a course to 100 percent broadband coverage for the residents of The Magnolia State, powered by Ready’s suite of software solutions. 

Aside from being the state that’s most fun to spell out loud, Mississippi was ground zero for a new American sound as the birthplace of blues artists like  B.B. King, Howlin’ Wolf, Muddy Waters, and Big Joe Williams.  

You also can’t forget the food scene in Mississippi either. Many out-of-staters have seen their jaws hit the floor after a bite of gas station fried chicken. Nothing served at the same address as diesel has the right to taste so good. 

But gas stations serve a purpose that may be unfamiliar to some. Oftentimes, a gas station is more than a place to fill up your truck; it’s the general store; it’s the local watering hole; and in Mississippi, they often serves as anchor institutions where local residents can access reliable broadband service. Tracking institutions like these is just one of the ways that Ready helps to power the State Broadband Office of Mississippi. 

Mississippi is using Ready’s Grantor Portal, Grant Optimizer, Performance Test & Survey, and Challenge Process Coordinator to assist BEAM in connecting the state’s communities. Ready has also assisted with stakeholder outreach and engagement on the ground in Mississippi.

The BEAM Team – known to their fans as the Dream Team – set an extremely high bar for state broadband offices around the country. Sally Burchfield Doty, a former Mississippi State Senator and Executive Director of the Mississippi Public Utilities Staff, leads a small but intensely driven team that has accomplished so much in such a narrow window of time. 

BEAM has managed hundreds of funding applications and deconflictions to their data, and enabled a request for comments window and a post-award lifecycle that extends for years in the future – all through a single platform. 

Sally and her team also make a point of spending time in the trenches, going to communities all around the state, engaging with the families and communities across The Magnolia State as far south as the Gulf Coast to the Delta region in the state’s northwest corner and the Black Belt in the northeast region. 

The Magnolia State has a long, winding road ahead to reach 100 percent broadband coverage, but they have built a foundation of success that will enable them to reach their dreams of broadband for all Mississippians.