Public and private sector leaders must partner to boost the economy by implementing the new infrastructure of broadband

DALLAS, TX—Leaders in the public and private sectors must pull together NOW, not only to combat economic impacts of COVID-19 but most importantly to lay the foundation for unleashing technological transformations as quickly as possible.  “The paradigms have shifted, yet we must continue to support the Federal Communications Communication’s pledge of ‘Keeping America Connected,’” says John Crew, principal, Public Werks, Inc. of Dallas and a public-private partnership expert focused on driving economic growth by maximizing broadband coverage and affordability. 

In his appointed position on the Texas Agriculture Finance Authority, Crew knows firsthand why and how a robust broadband backbone is required to facilitate access to information in a timely manner to support telecommuting, enable online delivery of education and deliver telemedicine—especially in rural Texas.

Crew illustrates technology disruptions as connected and autonomous vehicles, SG technologies, private networks, intelligent transportation systems, robotic process automation, drones, smart cities/infrastructure, e-commerce, and unprecedented growth in latency-sensitive applications such as video calling and gaming.

“The current situation presents an opportunity for public sector agencies to work collaboratively with their private sector counterparts to leverage policies and funding options to accelerate the deployment and/or adoption of affordable, secure, dependable and contemporary high-speed broadband infrastructure connectivity,” Crew said.

“The public sector should take the lead and catalyze private sector investments to supplement its funds to drive economic growth harder and faster,” Crew said. “I appreciate Commissioner Miller’s total focus on helping rural Texas.  In our conversations, he has told me he totally understands that broadband is one of the greatest infrastructure needs of this decade to enhance agriculture in Texas. 

“Now I am asking our federal, state and even local elected officials to come together to collaborate and innovate,” Crew said.

About John Crew.  The native Texan currently serves as a board member of the Texas Agricultural Finance Authority, a division of the Texas Department of Agriculture and the State of Texas. He began his investment banking career in 1979 in the Public Finance division of First Southwest Company in Dallas, TX. In 1983, he joined the Public Finance division of Dillon, Read & Co. Inc., one of the nation’s leading investment banking firms. He was named Managing Director and a member of the Board of Directors in 1991, and held those positions until 1997, the year when the company was sold. Crew holds a graduate degree in Agricultural Economics from Texas A&M University.

Letter to the Honorable Sid Miller, Texas Department of Agriculture

Dear Commissioner Miller:
The COVID-19 pandemic has forced a paradigm shift in the way society views how public agencies and businesses perform their day-to-day operations and how they will provide services to their constituents and customers in the future. In this time of crisis, it is important to support the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) pledge of ‘Keeping America Connected’; facilitating access to information in a timely manner, supporting changes to every day work environments including telecommuting, enabling online delivery of education, and relying on telemedicine for health services, all requiring a robust broadband connectivity backbone.

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