Business View Magazine | February 2021

85 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE FEBRUARY 2021 P OWER & COMMUNICATION CONTRACTORS ASSOCIATION Electrifying and connecting America W hen the COVID-19 pandemic pushed everything from doctor visits to job interviews online, the need for greater broadband access in much of rural America became even more pressing. Recognizing the need to act quickly, the Power & Communication Contractors Association (PCCA) threw its support behind the American Connection Project. The broadband coalition is a group of more than 100 businesses and organizations that have helped set up free Wi-Fi hotspots in parking lots that people can safely access from their vehicles. “And the program has been incredibly successful,” says Timothy Wagner, President & CEO of the Power & Communication Contractors Association. “You wouldn’t believe how many people in rural America are parking in these lots so that they can do things like fill out job applications and so their kids can do homework. And in each individual instance they’re online