WEBVTT - Jerome Howard, Culture Wireless 0:00:02.320 --> 0:00:04.960 I'm with Lucas and this is black tech, green money. 0:00:07.080 --> 0:00:10.800 Culture Wireless is a black owned Internet service provider which 0:00:10.800 --> 0:00:16.520 delivers fast, reliable, affordable Internet solutions, and Jerome Howard is 0:00:16.600 --> 0:00:21.040 chief operating officer, working to empower communities with high quality 0:00:21.160 --> 0:00:26.680 and affordable Internet service. Surprisingly, at least to me, the 0:00:26.760 --> 0:00:31.000 digital divide is still a thing. There are still communities 0:00:31.040 --> 0:00:34.080 all across our nation that do not have access to 0:00:34.159 --> 0:00:38.720 high quality, high speed Internet service, and the twenty nineteen 0:00:38.800 --> 0:00:44.640 COVID pandemic exacerbated many of these issues, disconnecting families from 0:00:44.640 --> 0:00:49.040 each other and friends from community. Culture Wireless and shies 0:00:49.080 --> 0:00:52.120 that won't happen again. So I asked Jerome about the 0:00:52.120 --> 0:00:55.760 founding story of this company and how the pandemic provided 0:00:55.800 --> 0:00:59.880 an opportunity for these innovatives. 0:00:59.200 --> 0:01:01.560 An idea that was born out of the pandemic. 0:01:02.440 --> 0:01:05.680 Myself being a technologist, our CEO being a technologist, and 0:01:06.560 --> 0:01:12.119 our friend, our co founder, Bam Sparks, being a culture innovator. 0:01:12.800 --> 0:01:16.280 We saw how our community was impacted by the pandemic, 0:01:16.600 --> 0:01:19.640 and then we discovered that the fastest fiber or Internet 0:01:19.640 --> 0:01:22.959 in Atlanta ran up under this one particular Internet or 0:01:23.440 --> 0:01:26.440 up under this one particular community, and we said, hey, 0:01:26.600 --> 0:01:31.000 these are the kind of problems that arose from the pandemic, 0:01:31.040 --> 0:01:32.760 and this is what we should be solving. So what 0:01:32.800 --> 0:01:35.400 does it look like if we provided internet for the hood. 0:01:35.600 --> 0:01:38.480 And so from there, our CEO went to work and 0:01:38.520 --> 0:01:41.399 started building out the designs and saying, hey, this is 0:01:41.400 --> 0:01:42.160 something doable. 0:01:42.280 --> 0:01:44.680 I think we can do this, and that's how culture 0:01:44.720 --> 0:01:45.480 Willis was born. 0:01:46.080 --> 0:01:47.560 Yes, I want to start I want to start to 0:01:47.560 --> 0:01:50.240 talk with talking about the digital divide. You know, is 0:01:50.720 --> 0:01:53.680 that's still a thing in twenty twenty four, Like what 0:01:53.800 --> 0:01:58.760 is the landscape like geographically for connectivity in the United States. 0:01:59.240 --> 0:02:02.640 Yeah, so that is definitely something that is still a thing. 0:02:02.840 --> 0:02:05.400 And you talk about AI and all of these things 0:02:05.440 --> 0:02:07.760 that are being introduced, and that the gap is just 0:02:07.840 --> 0:02:11.120 even going to grow. So right now, as you can imagine, 0:02:11.120 --> 0:02:13.880 even our colleges are in danger. I'm sure you've seen 0:02:13.919 --> 0:02:16.639 the post that Robert Smith made that eighty two percent 0:02:16.639 --> 0:02:20.440 of our HBCUs are still in broadband deserts. And then 0:02:20.560 --> 0:02:23.760 if we know the makeup of those HBCUs, they usually 0:02:23.760 --> 0:02:26.800 sit in a community that is full of you know, 0:02:26.960 --> 0:02:29.639 our people. And so now you think about that and 0:02:30.040 --> 0:02:34.960 growing out not even just limiting to HBCUs and urban areas. 0:02:35.000 --> 0:02:39.000 Think about the rural areas of America, your South Georgia's 0:02:39.000 --> 0:02:43.120 your Mississippi, where things are even worse than we've predicted. 0:02:43.720 --> 0:02:45.359 You know, people having to drive to. 0:02:45.680 --> 0:02:48.519 A local grocery store or McDonald's just to have Wi 0:02:48.560 --> 0:02:49.360 Fi for internet. 0:02:49.600 --> 0:02:50.959 So it's definitely still a thing. 0:02:52.360 --> 0:02:56.000 How I mean, there seems to be so many businesses 0:02:56.000 --> 0:02:59.519 and companies that want to take advantage of the market opportunity. 0:02:59.600 --> 0:03:02.079 How how is the digital divide where you can get 0:03:02.200 --> 0:03:05.360 high speed internet in so many places? How is that 0:03:05.440 --> 0:03:06.720 still a thing these days? 0:03:07.760 --> 0:03:11.080 So you have to look at the companies that are 0:03:11.080 --> 0:03:14.360 providing internet right now. So there are three major companies 0:03:15.240 --> 0:03:19.200 and their focus is to find their their their customer profile, 0:03:19.560 --> 0:03:21.919 so they have to go where that bill makes sense. 0:03:22.000 --> 0:03:24.799 So if you're looking at going to a fluent neighborhood 0:03:24.919 --> 0:03:27.959 versus you know, a mixed income neighborhood, you're going to 0:03:28.040 --> 0:03:31.480 make the best business decision for your company. And that's 0:03:31.560 --> 0:03:34.960 kind of what has driven us to this this pandemic 0:03:35.080 --> 0:03:38.360 or this area that we're in right now. It's not 0:03:38.560 --> 0:03:41.480 just about providing and making sure that access is available 0:03:41.480 --> 0:03:42.120 for everyone. 0:03:42.400 --> 0:03:43.760 It's about the bottom line. 0:03:44.000 --> 0:03:47.080 So by us being a smaller company having the ability 0:03:47.200 --> 0:03:51.320 to be flexible with technologies and not have such large overhead, 0:03:51.680 --> 0:03:56.040 we can find opportunities where these major, large corporations can. 0:03:57.040 --> 0:04:00.119 Is there is there a difference between being able to 0:04:00.160 --> 0:04:03.080 connect to the Internet from a cell phone versus like 0:04:03.120 --> 0:04:05.280 a laptop, And what I mean by that is a 0:04:05.320 --> 0:04:07.680 difference in the opportunities and how you're able to take 0:04:07.720 --> 0:04:10.560 advantage of resources. And here's why I bring that up. 0:04:10.760 --> 0:04:13.520 I have a small business and somebody who works in 0:04:13.560 --> 0:04:15.680 my company, we were in a team meeting and we 0:04:15.680 --> 0:04:17.560 were talking about how, you know, you can access a 0:04:17.600 --> 0:04:20.159 certain app that we use, certain piece of software that 0:04:20.200 --> 0:04:24.600 we use through you know, an app or a laptop, 0:04:25.160 --> 0:04:27.599 right because she was having a difficulty getting access to 0:04:27.640 --> 0:04:29.719 a certain thing from her phone. I'm like, well, just 0:04:29.760 --> 0:04:31.480 use a laptop. And she's like, you know, I'm not 0:04:31.600 --> 0:04:34.479 rich like that to where I've got, you know, just laptops, 0:04:34.520 --> 0:04:36.760 you know, sitting around, And I'm like, to me, like 0:04:36.839 --> 0:04:40.120 it was it was I almost took for granted that 0:04:40.240 --> 0:04:43.560 like everybody doesn't have a laptop sitting around, and it 0:04:43.600 --> 0:04:46.680 was just like revealing to me as somebody who I 0:04:46.760 --> 0:04:50.839 try to be, you know, understanding of what's happening around me. 0:04:50.960 --> 0:04:54.320 It just never clicked that most people don't have a laptop. 0:04:55.000 --> 0:04:57.240 Yep, yeah, most people don't have a laptop. 0:04:57.320 --> 0:05:00.120 And you think about now, most of the kids that 0:05:00.160 --> 0:05:02.719 are growing up now probably have never used a laptop 0:05:02.760 --> 0:05:05.720 outside of their class where when we grew up, having 0:05:05.720 --> 0:05:08.960 a laptop was necessary to do your classes and to 0:05:09.040 --> 0:05:09.839 do anything. 0:05:10.120 --> 0:05:11.960 But now that's not the case anymore. 0:05:12.600 --> 0:05:15.520 And then when you go out to affordability, most of 0:05:15.560 --> 0:05:16.800 these laptops are. 0:05:17.279 --> 0:05:19.159 Not they're not cheap. They're not cheap. 0:05:19.200 --> 0:05:23.160 So you know, without the ACP and those affordable programs 0:05:23.160 --> 0:05:26.960 to help subsidize that costs, the gap grows even wider 0:05:27.040 --> 0:05:30.560 because our community doesn't have the access nor do we 0:05:30.640 --> 0:05:33.320 have a lot of those funds just to allocate to 0:05:33.560 --> 0:05:36.760 buying all of these devices. If you think about most 0:05:36.760 --> 0:05:39.360 of our community or most of the people that suffer 0:05:39.440 --> 0:05:44.400 from the pandemic, their their own subsidized living or subsidized income. 0:05:44.680 --> 0:05:46.800 And so that's been the challenge over the couple of 0:05:46.880 --> 0:05:47.480 past years. 0:05:48.640 --> 0:05:51.359 And so when you decide, hey, we're going to go 0:05:51.400 --> 0:05:54.560 start a new ISP, like, like how does like what's 0:05:54.640 --> 0:05:57.520 the first step you take. And it's like because I'm thinking, like, okay, 0:05:58.200 --> 0:06:00.400 you know, if I want to go create new app, 0:06:00.480 --> 0:06:02.440 you know, I'll just you know, pull out, you know, 0:06:02.480 --> 0:06:05.039 a text editor and start coding and just get to it. 0:06:05.200 --> 0:06:07.679 Like it's super touper simple, because like nothing to get started. 0:06:07.960 --> 0:06:11.200 But if you want to start at ISP, like there's structural, 0:06:11.240 --> 0:06:14.000 infrastructural things you got to do, I imagine, And so 0:06:14.560 --> 0:06:16.440 like what's the first things you do when you try 0:06:16.480 --> 0:06:18.040 to try to start a company like this? 0:06:18.520 --> 0:06:20.800 Yeah, so this place was new to me. 0:06:20.880 --> 0:06:24.680 I came from security, I mean joined you know, our 0:06:24.720 --> 0:06:27.520 co founders and building this company and our CEO who 0:06:27.600 --> 0:06:31.000 comes from the telecom industry and over thirty years of 0:06:31.040 --> 0:06:34.360 experience from AT and T to bail South to you know, 0:06:34.560 --> 0:06:38.320 the various companies. And the first thing he did was 0:06:38.400 --> 0:06:41.040 to look at the lay of the fiber, seeing what's 0:06:41.120 --> 0:06:44.479 available in the area, seeing where the towers are, seeing 0:06:44.520 --> 0:06:48.440 where you know, the last company has laid fiber, Where 0:06:48.440 --> 0:06:50.640 would we be able to access it, and if we did, 0:06:50.880 --> 0:06:54.560 how how far is that from the actual community that 0:06:54.600 --> 0:06:57.280 we wanted to connect to. So that's the first thing 0:06:57.320 --> 0:06:59.320 you have to do is just understand the lay of 0:06:59.360 --> 0:07:01.440 the land. And then the second thing you have to 0:07:01.480 --> 0:07:06.520 do is just get your LLC. It's really that simple. 0:07:06.800 --> 0:07:07.880 It's really that simple. 0:07:08.080 --> 0:07:10.000 Like it's not a permit that you need to start 0:07:10.040 --> 0:07:10.560 an ISP. 0:07:10.880 --> 0:07:14.120 It's not like you have to have so many certifications 0:07:14.160 --> 0:07:16.200 to do this type of technology. 0:07:16.280 --> 0:07:18.760 You just really have to start. And that's exactly what 0:07:18.800 --> 0:07:19.040 we did. 0:07:19.120 --> 0:07:22.360 And we said, you know, putting our expertise together and 0:07:22.400 --> 0:07:25.240 putting out wheel and you know how bad we want 0:07:25.280 --> 0:07:27.840 this to happen, we can do it. And so it 0:07:27.960 --> 0:07:30.880 was just that simple figuring out what was available, figuring 0:07:30.920 --> 0:07:33.280 out and trying to find partners that were able to 0:07:33.320 --> 0:07:36.320 help us, and then just doing it and staying committed 0:07:36.360 --> 0:07:36.880 to the task. 0:07:37.520 --> 0:07:40.600 We recognize in our community that there's a value in 0:07:40.640 --> 0:07:43.720 having really strong partnerships with companies that an't bigger, you know, 0:07:43.760 --> 0:07:46.680 and they're more establishing, etc. I know, you guys are 0:07:46.800 --> 0:07:50.360 partners with Verizon, T Mobile and probably others. Can you 0:07:50.400 --> 0:07:53.240 talk about, you know, some of the critical things you 0:07:53.280 --> 0:07:56.560 needed to do to be prepared for those opportunities when 0:07:56.640 --> 0:07:58.680 those opportunities presented themselves. 0:07:59.080 --> 0:08:02.280 Yeah, So first we had to show that we had growth, 0:08:02.360 --> 0:08:05.280 we had an actual business, and we had a customer 0:08:05.320 --> 0:08:08.720 base to actually market to, and then they wanted to 0:08:08.720 --> 0:08:12.000 see our marketing strategy. How are we activating in the community, 0:08:12.080 --> 0:08:15.440 How are we getting these customers to be interested in 0:08:15.480 --> 0:08:16.440 culture Wirelens. 0:08:16.520 --> 0:08:17.680 So that was the biggest thing. 0:08:17.720 --> 0:08:21.600 Show our commitment and show our actual numbers of you know, 0:08:21.720 --> 0:08:23.280 what our predictions. 0:08:22.720 --> 0:08:26.600 Were and just from all of the groundwork we've laid. 0:08:26.880 --> 0:08:29.520 So it had to be interesting to them in order 0:08:29.600 --> 0:08:33.200 to even be interested in our partnership. And then we 0:08:33.240 --> 0:08:35.880 had to show them our commitment to just investing into 0:08:35.880 --> 0:08:39.520 the community. So while we do have those partnerships, we 0:08:39.600 --> 0:08:41.840 feel that it is valuable for us to own the 0:08:41.880 --> 0:08:46.160 infrastructure that we're laying into these communities. So we're actually 0:08:46.160 --> 0:08:50.000 spending our own dollars and not depending on these partnerships 0:08:50.520 --> 0:08:54.320 our major networks to lean on their infrastructure solely, but 0:08:54.480 --> 0:08:58.640 actually developing and investing our own dollar to have this 0:08:58.760 --> 0:09:01.760 infrastructure for ourselves so that we can build upon that 0:09:01.880 --> 0:09:04.480 as well. And I think that helps our message to 0:09:04.520 --> 0:09:07.280 show that you know, these guys are serious, these guys 0:09:07.280 --> 0:09:10.360 are committed to their goals, and why wouldn't we want 0:09:10.360 --> 0:09:13.120 to partner with someone who's from the community, knows the 0:09:13.120 --> 0:09:17.160 community and it just the message has traveled very well. 0:09:18.280 --> 0:09:20.880 Where there certain programs that they had or when you say, 0:09:20.960 --> 0:09:23.520 you know, well, look Verizon has this one particular program. 0:09:23.600 --> 0:09:25.520 If we reach out to them about this, we can 0:09:25.559 --> 0:09:28.480 find our way in. Like what was that relationship introduction? 0:09:28.679 --> 0:09:30.040 Like well, so. 0:09:30.120 --> 0:09:34.400 They all have a sort of situation or a partnership 0:09:34.440 --> 0:09:39.760 set up where any small carriers can partner with larger 0:09:39.800 --> 0:09:42.960 major carriers to resell their services. So that is the 0:09:43.000 --> 0:09:46.319 thing it's called MBN or where smaller companies can resell 0:09:47.040 --> 0:09:50.920 those packages. But what most people don't know is those 0:09:50.960 --> 0:09:54.680 connections are many where you have direct connections to like 0:09:54.720 --> 0:09:58.640 a T Mobile or Verizon, those are very few where 0:09:58.679 --> 0:10:01.280 you have to have some type they have to feel 0:10:01.280 --> 0:10:02.520 connected to your brand. 0:10:02.800 --> 0:10:05.280 In order to have a direct connection. 0:10:05.120 --> 0:10:07.560 They'll let you resell all day, But to get the 0:10:07.640 --> 0:10:11.360 wholesale numbers or to get the best numbers that are 0:10:11.480 --> 0:10:14.840 very possible, you have to have a direct connection to 0:10:14.920 --> 0:10:18.120 the major providers, and for that, your messaging has to 0:10:18.200 --> 0:10:21.720 align with their company goals. And I think we fit 0:10:21.840 --> 0:10:25.280 a lot of the things and places that they're looking 0:10:25.320 --> 0:10:28.440 to expand into. And I think, like I said, the 0:10:28.480 --> 0:10:32.479 message has carried very well, whenever we're out pitching cultural violence. 0:10:32.720 --> 0:10:35.000 In solving the digital divide, I find this quote that 0:10:35.040 --> 0:10:37.920 you had mentioned sometime ago in another interview where you said, 0:10:38.280 --> 0:10:40.719 we know that solving the digital divide is more than 0:10:40.840 --> 0:10:43.559 just about having internet. We have to look a look 0:10:43.559 --> 0:10:45.800 at this from a holistic approach. In order to solve 0:10:46.200 --> 0:10:48.960 the divide, we have to create a pipeline, pipeline for 0:10:49.040 --> 0:10:52.200 kids to enter into STEM fields, even at an early age. 0:10:52.480 --> 0:10:54.840 And I want to talk about that particular thing, because 0:10:54.840 --> 0:10:58.280 there is one thing to get them connected, it's another 0:10:58.280 --> 0:11:00.000 thing for them to be able to see the opportun 0:11:00.000 --> 0:11:03.319 t unity that technology allows them to have and not 0:11:03.400 --> 0:11:06.640 just be consumers, which we over index as consumers only 0:11:06.679 --> 0:11:09.839 internet and not building products. Can you talk about what 0:11:09.920 --> 0:11:12.880 culture Wireless is doing and what you guys as are 0:11:12.920 --> 0:11:15.320 serious about in order to you know, make sure that 0:11:15.360 --> 0:11:19.120 we're getting educated in STEM fields. 0:11:19.480 --> 0:11:24.560 Right, so you know, we're very passionate about this, just 0:11:24.600 --> 0:11:27.520 because that's that's exactly what I experienced growing up. So 0:11:27.559 --> 0:11:30.800 I'm from a rural town in Georgia by the name 0:11:30.840 --> 0:11:34.080 of Alimo, Georgia. I was I think I was the 0:11:34.120 --> 0:11:36.480 only kid on my block that had a computer and 0:11:36.480 --> 0:11:39.880 if it wasn't for my parents, you know, being educators, 0:11:40.040 --> 0:11:42.360 I probably wouldn't have had the opportunities that I had, 0:11:42.480 --> 0:11:46.880 just going to different camps and actually experiencing different technologies, 0:11:47.720 --> 0:11:52.320 and that's what grew my my my excitement about the field. 0:11:52.600 --> 0:11:56.360 And it's all about exposure and so growing up knowing 0:11:56.400 --> 0:11:59.280 that how can you start a company that is about 0:11:59.320 --> 0:12:02.600 technology and not being able to trigger them early to 0:12:02.760 --> 0:12:05.640 want to start something, and so we had to find 0:12:05.679 --> 0:12:09.160 partners in the community where we've gone ahead and thrown 0:12:09.679 --> 0:12:12.760 these stem labs where we teach people how to you know, 0:12:13.040 --> 0:12:15.800 we teach them about technology, but doing it in a 0:12:15.840 --> 0:12:19.720 way where it is interesting to them. So for young 0:12:19.800 --> 0:12:23.040 ladies having a STEM lab where you're making lipsticking and 0:12:23.080 --> 0:12:26.720 you're building apps. What you're doing dragging code, but you're 0:12:26.720 --> 0:12:28.960 playing music at the same time and to the app. 0:12:29.040 --> 0:12:31.160 You have to make it interesting for them to be 0:12:31.240 --> 0:12:33.719 attracted to it. You have to show them how it's 0:12:33.760 --> 0:12:36.760 connected to something that they want to do. Like on 0:12:36.800 --> 0:12:39.800 the NBA Games, there's a statistician that is giving the 0:12:39.840 --> 0:12:42.640 person all of the numbers that stem and so you 0:12:42.720 --> 0:12:45.320 have to make that connection where you don't think of 0:12:45.840 --> 0:12:49.200 it or technology or stem being an office job. 0:12:49.120 --> 0:12:50.920 Or someone in a lab in a white. 0:12:50.640 --> 0:12:54.360 Cod doing running experiments and you're never talking to anybody. 0:12:54.600 --> 0:12:56.920 Technology is much more than that, but you have to 0:12:56.960 --> 0:13:00.880 give them that exposure and so culture Wildy we understand 0:13:00.880 --> 0:13:03.800 that and we have to develop that pipeline very early. 0:13:04.160 --> 0:13:07.480 So we seek out partners in the community that are 0:13:07.480 --> 0:13:09.840 holding those type of events so that we can bring 0:13:09.920 --> 0:13:12.800 in engineers and it not be the first time that 0:13:13.160 --> 0:13:16.120 you know, you see an engineer whenever you get to college, 0:13:16.160 --> 0:13:18.240 but you see them when you're in elementary school in 0:13:18.240 --> 0:13:21.320 the middle school, so you can expire to be that person. 0:13:22.120 --> 0:13:24.480 And then we also do the same thing with seniors, 0:13:24.559 --> 0:13:27.280 letting them know that hey, you still can have a 0:13:29.280 --> 0:13:33.440 bunty for life and you know, still be active with 0:13:33.640 --> 0:13:37.280 computer skills. So we go from grade school to the elderly, like, 0:13:37.440 --> 0:13:38.959 you know, you don't have to sit in your home 0:13:39.080 --> 0:13:43.160 and just not be tech savvy. We can teach you 0:13:43.200 --> 0:13:46.400 how to interact with different games or how they interact 0:13:46.400 --> 0:13:49.440 with your family, be a zoom or find some type 0:13:49.440 --> 0:13:52.720 of remote job. So that's the basis of how we 0:13:52.760 --> 0:13:56.079 connect to the community, just finding different partners on how 0:13:56.120 --> 0:13:57.120 we could get in there. 0:13:57.520 --> 0:13:59.000 And actually let them. 0:13:58.840 --> 0:14:03.400 Experience, have hands on labs teaching them about ACP whenever 0:14:03.440 --> 0:14:06.839 it was available. How do you get those codes or 0:14:07.080 --> 0:14:09.240 get those discounts to apply? 0:14:10.480 --> 0:14:12.880 And what is the ACP like, talk to me more 0:14:12.880 --> 0:14:13.280 about that. 0:14:14.160 --> 0:14:18.000 So ACP was a program that the government had called 0:14:18.040 --> 0:14:24.960 Affordable Affordable Connectivity Program. It actually ended yesterday and hopefully 0:14:25.160 --> 0:14:29.040 the bill gets passed that it is extended. But that 0:14:29.200 --> 0:14:32.800 was a discount program for anyone that qualified. Pretty much 0:14:32.880 --> 0:14:37.520 anyone that seek government assistance would get thirty dollars a 0:14:37.600 --> 0:14:40.480 month off of their technology bill or out for their 0:14:40.680 --> 0:14:41.400 internet bill. 0:14:41.640 --> 0:14:43.080 And if you're on tribal. 0:14:42.760 --> 0:14:46.240 Land that that cut down that that discount increased to 0:14:46.280 --> 0:14:50.560 seventy five dollars. So, like I said, that funding actually 0:14:50.840 --> 0:14:53.720 ran out and so the end of that program is able. 0:14:53.760 --> 0:14:56.080 But the last day to sign up was yesterday, which 0:14:56.120 --> 0:14:59.440 was February seventh, and we are waiting to see if 0:14:59.440 --> 0:15:03.160 that bill is gonna be passed. But you know, we 0:15:03.320 --> 0:15:08.440 use programs like that to incentivize and get people to 0:15:08.520 --> 0:15:11.200 come out. So you know, hey, participate in the STEM lab. 0:15:11.320 --> 0:15:14.640 We can give your a discount of device and then 0:15:14.680 --> 0:15:17.320 you get internet service from that. And so that's kind 0:15:17.320 --> 0:15:21.640 of how we drove engagement to get people interested in 0:15:21.680 --> 0:15:25.920 the technology and then connecting them and then just showing them. 0:15:26.000 --> 0:15:27.760 You know, first of all, they had to be about 0:15:27.760 --> 0:15:31.760 community service, you know, helping them and and going a 0:15:31.840 --> 0:15:35.280 little bit above the extra mile just to get them 0:15:35.320 --> 0:15:38.560 connected and say hey, we're with you through this entire process. 0:15:38.560 --> 0:15:40.680 We're not just gonna let you give your device and 0:15:40.680 --> 0:15:42.160 throw you out there and call us if you need 0:15:42.200 --> 0:15:45.600 help accessing that device. We can do that and that's 0:15:45.600 --> 0:15:47.760 how we've been able to grow throughout the community. 0:15:48.880 --> 0:15:52.040 And so can you talk about where the needs are 0:15:52.120 --> 0:15:54.520 when we talk about as you mentioned AI and coding, 0:15:54.560 --> 0:15:56.920 we talked about you know, when we talk about some 0:15:56.920 --> 0:15:59.280 of our most vulnerable like because a lot of the 0:15:59.320 --> 0:16:02.040 times and brought up seniors, they get left out of 0:16:02.040 --> 0:16:05.000 the conversation when we talk about technology. Can you talk 0:16:05.040 --> 0:16:07.400 about where the needs are and what you're seeing. 0:16:08.800 --> 0:16:13.520 Yeah, So, as far as in the industry, if you're 0:16:13.560 --> 0:16:15.400 if you're like I said, if you're not aware, there's 0:16:15.440 --> 0:16:18.680 a big push and I'm just gonna talk about it 0:16:18.720 --> 0:16:22.800 from a for an ISP standpoint, there's going to be 0:16:22.880 --> 0:16:28.360 a lot of companies going out and installing fighter around 0:16:28.840 --> 0:16:32.880 the country right now, So there's going to be a 0:16:32.920 --> 0:16:37.240 big need for technicians in the field to do this work, 0:16:37.400 --> 0:16:42.240 from construction work to land fiber optics, understand how fiber 0:16:42.240 --> 0:16:47.040 options work works, and then going to the communities installing 0:16:47.080 --> 0:16:49.440 those fiber option services throughout the community. 0:16:49.680 --> 0:16:50.840 So that's one a space. 0:16:50.880 --> 0:16:52.800 If you have no desire to sit in the office, 0:16:52.880 --> 0:16:54.720 or if you have no desire to be on a 0:16:54.760 --> 0:16:57.360 computer all day, if you're an outside person, there's a 0:16:57.440 --> 0:17:00.400 need for you in that space if you're coming and 0:17:00.440 --> 0:17:03.520 you want to learn more technical skills. One of the 0:17:03.560 --> 0:17:07.320 biggest growing areas right now is security. How do we 0:17:07.359 --> 0:17:10.480 secure these networks, how do we secure their devices, how 0:17:10.480 --> 0:17:13.120 do we secure the apps? How do we secure our 0:17:13.160 --> 0:17:18.360 programs that are connected to credit cards and financial institutions. 0:17:18.400 --> 0:17:22.240 Security is one of the most the highest growing spaces 0:17:22.240 --> 0:17:26.480 in now, and so those are the real two big 0:17:26.520 --> 0:17:29.359 areas that I see a need in AI of course, 0:17:29.440 --> 0:17:32.080 but you know AI. Everyone is talking about AI right now, 0:17:32.560 --> 0:17:35.000 but you're still gonna need security on top of any 0:17:35.040 --> 0:17:38.119 technology that is being released. So those are going to 0:17:38.200 --> 0:17:40.879 be my two. And I'm always gonna leave security because 0:17:40.920 --> 0:17:44.679 that's my background. But I've seen that space is spanning 0:17:44.760 --> 0:17:46.720 over time like crazy man. 0:17:48.000 --> 0:17:50.480 It was another quote I found from you where you said, 0:17:50.520 --> 0:17:52.720 you know, America is made up of different cultures, but 0:17:52.800 --> 0:17:55.480 our culture just so happens to be black. But that's 0:17:55.520 --> 0:17:58.120 not the only culture that we're trying to connect. When 0:17:58.160 --> 0:18:02.560 you think about the vulnerable people in our country and 0:18:02.720 --> 0:18:06.000 who could take advantage of the things that you provide, 0:18:07.040 --> 0:18:09.840 where's like, how do you direct the market opportunity because 0:18:09.840 --> 0:18:13.199 this is culture wi, So do you talk about we 0:18:13.240 --> 0:18:16.080 are building for black people by black people, or this 0:18:16.119 --> 0:18:18.679 is for just people. Talk to me about how you 0:18:18.680 --> 0:18:19.320 think about that. 0:18:20.160 --> 0:18:24.439 Yeah, so this is a black company, but we're not 0:18:24.520 --> 0:18:28.960 a black company, if that makes sense. We're not only 0:18:29.000 --> 0:18:32.440 trying to connect black people. The connectivity problem. Our issue 0:18:32.520 --> 0:18:35.680 is not just for black people. We have rural America 0:18:35.720 --> 0:18:39.560 where most those people don't look like us. Those farming 0:18:39.600 --> 0:18:44.080 communities are those communities that are not located anywhere near city. 0:18:44.280 --> 0:18:47.120 All of those don't look like black people, but they 0:18:47.119 --> 0:18:48.000 still have culture. 0:18:48.200 --> 0:18:49.120 That's their culture. 0:18:50.200 --> 0:18:53.359 If I like going out and hunting and being in 0:18:53.400 --> 0:18:57.840 a wilderness or farming, that's a culture. That's not my culture, 0:18:58.040 --> 0:19:01.360 but that is a culture. So we wanted to make 0:19:01.440 --> 0:19:05.720 something a brand that lets you know, like, hey, we're 0:19:05.800 --> 0:19:08.720 all about culture is what makes us. It doesn't have 0:19:08.800 --> 0:19:12.560 to be one specific culture, but culture is what makes America. 0:19:12.920 --> 0:19:16.200 Culture is what connects us. And so, you know, while 0:19:16.240 --> 0:19:19.800 I'm very proud and supportive but my culture, I recognize 0:19:19.800 --> 0:19:23.159 and understand that other cultures have needs and it just 0:19:23.240 --> 0:19:26.879 doesn't look like one thing or another. We have connectivity 0:19:26.960 --> 0:19:30.000 issues in the hood, but we also have connectivity issues 0:19:30.000 --> 0:19:30.600 in the country. 0:19:31.359 --> 0:19:33.760 It's all culture, and we're here to solve that need. 0:19:34.080 --> 0:19:37.399 This is a black company, but we're not a black company. 0:19:39.760 --> 0:19:43.760 So so how does like a remote workforce change the 0:19:43.840 --> 0:19:46.560 dynamic when you talk about, you know, the digital divide 0:19:46.600 --> 0:19:49.879 and our lack of connectivity in so many areas, you know, 0:19:49.920 --> 0:19:53.280 because I imagine it would widen the gap of the 0:19:53.280 --> 0:19:54.040 digital guide. 0:19:54.200 --> 0:19:57.639 So if you think about it, if you have a 0:19:57.680 --> 0:20:00.280 community that is sixty eight percent black and most of 0:20:00.280 --> 0:20:04.000 those guys are are most of those people are want 0:20:04.000 --> 0:20:09.520 team or only have available warehouse jobs or working at 0:20:09.520 --> 0:20:14.560 the prison, they have no option to even apply for 0:20:14.600 --> 0:20:17.400 a remote job because one they don't have the connectivity 0:20:17.440 --> 0:20:18.240 that supports it. 0:20:19.040 --> 0:20:21.919 Two they don't have the device to even apply for 0:20:22.000 --> 0:20:24.760 those jobs. Let alone hold those jobs. 0:20:25.080 --> 0:20:29.320 So that even widened this gap and limits what income 0:20:29.359 --> 0:20:32.440 they can have they have and that speaks to my 0:20:32.920 --> 0:20:33.880 hometown as well. 0:20:34.000 --> 0:20:38.560 Like most of the people there and they are limited. 0:20:38.240 --> 0:20:41.440 To working at the warehouse, or working at the prison, 0:20:41.640 --> 0:20:44.520 or working at the factory, and they don't have the 0:20:44.680 --> 0:20:48.400 option to apply for a remote job. So what does 0:20:48.440 --> 0:20:50.679 it look like if we go to that community and 0:20:50.760 --> 0:20:54.880 now we provide four G cbrs five G network called 0:20:55.000 --> 0:20:58.120 fiber network, so that they now can apply for those 0:20:58.119 --> 0:20:58.960 type of jobs. 0:20:59.119 --> 0:21:00.760 They can sit at home home and. 0:21:00.760 --> 0:21:05.480 Have a job that is above memum wage without leaving 0:21:05.480 --> 0:21:08.560 the comforts of their home. So it's very important that 0:21:08.640 --> 0:21:11.720