When the FCC voted last fall to strip hotspot and school bus Wi-Fi from the E-Rate program, Mission Telecom responded swiftly – growing its network of partners and launching new services to ensure vulnerable communities were not left behind. The service provider recently reached a key milestone: it connected 20,000 families and impacted 50,000 lives.

But it’s not stopping there. Through its Project: Volume Up, Mission is now providing a nationwide initiative designed to help public libraries launch or expand hotspot lending programs in their communities. Volume Up brings together hardware, nationwide 4G and 5G coverage, and nonprofit pricing into a single, ready-to-launch solution – so libraries can quickly get hotspot programs up and running.

Partnerships are a big focus. Mission Telecom established partnerships with nonprofits, including CACRC, to close the digital divide by providing affordable computers to Louisiana families who need them most, and it launched the RESPOND Kit – a portable hotspot and broadband solution designed to keep communities connected before, during, and after natural disasters.

In this new Broadband Pulse podcast, we talked with Mark Colwell, director of broadband operations at Mission Telecom, about how its new offering will make schools' and libraries' budgets whole after the E-Rate cuts.

Here's a timeline of the interview's key moments:

Opening | 0:00

Host's introduction of guests | 0:03

Mission’s progress | 0:21
The service provider recently reached a key milestone, connecting 20,000 families and impacting 50,000 lives.

Service partnerships | 1:11
Colwell discusses how Mission Telecom expanded its network of partners to help communities bridge the gap created by the FCC's decision to cut hotspot and school bus Wi-Fi from the E-Rate program.

FCC's proposed childhood E-Rate service usage protections | 2:50
How Mission views the FCC’s consideration of a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) on measures to protect children better when using E-Rate-funded networks.

Mission Telecom’s Volume Up program | 4:52
With libraries being Mission Telecom’s fastest-growing segment, Colwell talks about how the Volume Up program helps public libraries launch or expand affordable hotspot lending programs.

Belen Public Library | 6:39
How Mission Telecom’s low-cost hotspot program is giving the rural New Mexico community, where many families can’t afford home broadband.

Capital Area Corporate Recycling Council (CACRC) device refurbishment | 9:12
Mission works with CACRC to provide low-cost computing devices to families in need.  

Navigating the BEAD broadband program | 12:01
Colwell notes that non-deployment funds could be a good way to bring broadband to public housing facilities in urban poor communities.

Mission bolsters its board of directors | 13:29
Adding new voices like Sabrina Hersi Issa, who will also serve on the board of the organization’s philanthropic arm, Mission Telecom Giving, broadens the board by bringing in people from diverse backgrounds.

Final thoughts/Closing | 14:55
Mark Colwell provides his final thoughts.