The following summary has been condensed for length and readability. To listen to the full discussion, click here. This episode is sponsored by ETI Software and VETRO FiberMap.
In this episode of The Broadband Bunch, host Pete Pizzutillo welcomes Tracy Doaks, President and CEO of MCNC, for a discussion on broadband deployment, middle-mile strategy, cybersecurity, and the future of digital equity in North Carolina. As one of the most influential broadband leaders in the U.S., Tracy offers a holistic view of how infrastructure, investment, and community partnerships shape outcomes for rural America.
Tracy begins by sharing her professional journey, which spans engineering, private sector roles, nonprofit leadership, and two decades in North Carolina state government. Her tenure as Deputy State CIO and later State CIO gave her visibility into statewide connectivity challenges—from how schools operate digitally, to the needs of healthcare networks, to how infrastructure impacts economic recovery.
Her personal background plays a role as well. Growing up in rural Virginia, she experienced firsthand how a single industry can define a community—and how its absence can destabilize one. When broadband adoption enables modern jobs, education, and healthcare, she sees a direct link to preventing those declines.
That foundational mission of community impact led her to MCNC.
MCNC—originally called the Microelectronics Center of North Carolina—has evolved far beyond its name. Also known as the operator of NCREN (North Carolina Research and Education Network), MCNC is responsible for connecting:
Schools and universities
Hospitals and telehealth networks
Community colleges
Public institutions
Small municipalities
Research organizations
MCNC currently manages approximately 5,000 miles of fiber, much of it in rural areas where private providers have historically under-invested.
This extensive middle-mile footprint enables smaller last-mile providers to connect households affordably—creating an ecosystem where competition, diversity of providers, and local service innovation can emerge.
Tracy explains that middle-mile infrastructure is the backbone that allows rural communities to scale connectivity.
Last-mile providers often cannot justify building both middle-mile and residential networks. When a middle-mile network already exists and can be leased, rural broadband suddenly becomes viable.
MCNC recently received federal support for a $19-million middle-mile expansion, designed specifically to prime underserved regions for BEAD funding. While recent changes have slowed parts of BEAD rollout, MCNC is committed to ensuring long-term pathway readiness.
Tracy points to validated industry research showing that communities with high broadband adoption rates experience:
44% higher GDP growth
18% higher annual per-capita income growth
213% growth in net new businesses over time
10% higher self-employment rates
She highlights real examples where broadband access has:
Enabled remote healthcare
Created tourism-based economies
Helped farmers access commodity data in real time
Enabled small businesses to digitize operations
Allowed remote or hybrid work in places where it was previously impossible
When broadband infrastructure reaches a community, its identity transforms from stagnant to competitive.
Tracy is direct in stating that cybersecurity is still widely misunderstood and underfunded.
She identifies key threats affecting institutions:
Ransomware
Network infiltration
Data theft
Social engineering
Identity-based attacks
MCNC provides educational services, threat monitoring, and advisory support—especially to school districts—and pushes for cybersecurity awareness as foundational to digital equity.
Connectivity without security, she notes, creates risk rather than opportunity.
Hurricane Helene was a turning point. The disaster wiped out both aerial and buried fiber, revealing vulnerabilities in traditional redundancy strategies.
Tracy stresses the need for:
New restoration models
Faster multi-provider emergency coordination
Exploration of low-orbit satellite in emergency response
Collaboration with utilities
Intentional statewide emergency design—not reactive problem-solving
She believes that future broadband resiliency planning must begin now—not when the next disaster occurs.
Electric membership cooperatives are uniquely positioned to accelerate last-mile deployment because:
They already serve rural territories
They have trusted community relationships
They have infrastructure and service access footprints
They’re mission-driven rather than profit-driven
MCNC’s partnership with Roanoke Cooperative’s subsidiary (FYBE) has already proven a scalable model.
Tracy makes two predictions:
Rural regions may become attractive AI hub anchors, especially as cost pressure makes coastal tech growth expensive.
Providers must rethink long-term sustainability models independent of federal funding cycles.
Her closing message is that relying solely on government subsidies is no longer realistic. Future advancement will require shared responsibility between:
Private investors
Education systems
Local government
Technology partners
Utilities
Community organizations
Because broadband is not simply about access—it is about generational transformation.
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