Joni Roberts On The Digital Divide and Why & How We Should Close It

An Interview With Monica Sanders

Don’t spend too much time worrying about what people think of you — that leads to people pleasing in the workplace and drives an unhealthy perfectionism. It can also lead you into situations that don’t serve you and leave you overwhelmed and unable to set boundaries for yourself. I’ve seen a lot of women, and men, not advocate for themselves or go for the roles they deserve out of fear of rocking the boat or upsetting coworkers, and that’s a loss for everyone involved.

Digital inequality reinforces existing social disparities, demanding considerable efforts to acknowledge and address this pressing issue. In this interview series, we are talking to business leaders, policymakers, think tanks and experts on this topic to share their insights and stories about “How Companies and Policymakers Are Taking Action and Can Further Contribute to Closing the Digital Divide.” As part of this series, I had the pleasure to interview Joni Roberts.

Joni Roberts serves as Ribbon’s Global Chief Marketing Officer and Senior Vice President, and is responsible for leading the company’s global marketing strategy, marketing organization and investor relations. With three decades of industry experience, Joni is part of the pioneering class of women who entered telecommunications in the 1990s, paving the way for women in the industry today. Before joining Ribbon, Joni was Vice President of Sales and Business Development for North America at RAD Data. Prior to RAD, Joni ran a global sales team at ADVA where she spearheaded efforts to open new markets in LATAM. She has held senior positions at Fujitsu, Coriant, Dell, and Nortel and overseen teams with responsibilities for hardware, software, and services across layer 0, 1, and 2. Joni has committed to enhancing the work environment through diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Joni holds a B.A. in Political Science from Cal State Long Beach and graduated with a Masters in Telecommunications from the University of Denver, Colorado.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to ‘get to know you’. Can you tell us a bit about how you grew up?

I grew up in rural Colorado outside of Fort Collins, with chickens and horses. We were 8 children altogether and we attended elementary school in a two-room schoolhouse! My small town only had 8 party lines as their telecom network. It was in many ways the image people get when they think of a rural upbringing.

Obviously, that’s very different from the way most of us live, including myself now, and it’s an environment that not everyone understands. The ethos is different — it’s very community and neighbor-based. You have to be self-reliant and look out for each other as you don’t have access to the same level of services as people in more populated areas do. So you can understand that the digital divide is really near and dear to my heart.

Is there a particular book that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story or explain why it resonated with you so much?

Reading was a huge part of my life growing up — our whole family was very book-oriented and it was sometimes our only entertainment. My grandmother was chief editor of the Geological Society of America’s magazine, one of the first women to hold this kind of a position in the US, back in the sixties. She helped influence some of my reading habits — for example, since she was Polish, she suggested I read Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, which I loved. Some other favorites included Where the Red Fern Grows, which for those who haven’t read it is a very affecting story of a boy and his dogs growing up in the Ozarks, and of course Judy Blume’s books. They offer such a straightforward depiction of adolescence.

Do you have a favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Do you have a story about how that was relevant in your life or your work?

I love this quote from Elbert Hubbard, a true Renaissance man who was a soap salesman among other things: “A little more persistence, a little more effort, and what seemed hopeless failure may turn to glorious success.”

I started my own career in telecom selling 800 numbers (toll-free in the US) and long distance in the mid-90s, which entailed going door to door to potential business customers. I would often befriend the women up front and they would let me know when I had a chance of meeting the decision makers or sometimes would even walk me into their offices and introduce me.

I targeted one specific private financial firm for 6 months. I came by on a Friday afternoon, and the receptionist introduced me to the owner, a surly older man sitting behind his massive desk. He gave me 5 minutes and said “I’ve heard enough young lady! You’re attractive and you need to get out of telecom and learn how to bake.” I was practically in tears when I left, but I came back a week later with some burnt cookies and told him “I can’t bake, so I need to stay in telecom.” He laughed, said “OK,” and listened to my pitch. I ended up signing him up and later added his satellite offices. We stayed in touch for years and I have many stories like that. Persistence and tenacity are a must and part of what got me to where I am today.

Ok, thank you. Now let’s move to the main focus of our interview. How would you define the Digital Divide? Can you explain or give an example?

The Digital Divide refers to the gap between Americans who have reliable access to high-speed internet services, and those who do not. Unfortunately, we have a huge number of people in this country who struggle to access critical information and opportunities in work, schooling, and healthcare and are at risk of being left behind, further exacerbating inequality. So while we’ve seen a lot of progress being made on this issue, approximately 42 million people in remote or rural areas are still underserved by modern broadband infrastructure.

This is a tremendous problem, especially as our society becomes increasingly digitally connected. Pandemic-related changes around the way we live and work have further exacerbated the digital divide — with the widespread closure of workplaces, schools, and other places of community, we saw a rapid acceleration in the adoption of platforms designed to connect people remotely. While the height of the pandemic is now behind us, many facets of our lives have remained at least partially online, and they run the gamut, including shopping, entertainment, social engagements, telehealth, educational opportunities, etc.

Today, more Americans have access to remote or hybrid work opportunities than ever before, but citizens without reliable internet, most of whom live in rural areas ,will continue to fall behind. With 5G-enabled services booming in popularity, it’s critical that we invest in initiatives and funding that can enable the next generation to gain the digital skills they need to push their career opportunities forward, and help uplift their communities.

Can you tell our readers a bit about your experience working with initiatives to close the digital divide? Can you share a story with us?

The main challenges we see with reducing the digital divide start with logistics and costs — accessing these mostly rural or remote locations is planning and resource-intensive, and subject to a number of regulatory and bureaucratic requirements. As a result, many Tier 1 and Tier 2 service providers have stalled their plans to expand broadband service into these areas .

The federal government is playing a key role in driving programs and funding designed to reduce the divide, such as the $14 billion Affordable Connectivity Program and the upcoming $42.45 billion Broadband Equity Access and Deployment Program (BEAD), but I believe that we can drive more immediate change at the regional level. We have a team focused specifically on the needs of rural telecommunications and utility customers at Ribbon, and we offer a variety of solutions for both rural and regional service providers to help broaden access to high-speed broadband for these underserved communities. .

We have already collaborated with rural providers such as Empire Access, Texas Lone Star Networks, SkyLine SkyBest and many others to upgrade their IP and optical networks across areas like upstate New York, Texas, and North Caroline. While these are only a small subset of the providers we partner with, they’re a good representation of the work we’ve done to enable the higher broadband speeds and network capacity rural consumers need to narrow the digital divide. We are in conversation with many more rural and tribal providers today and I look forward to sharing more success stories in the near future.

This may be obvious to you, but it will be helpful to spell this out. Can you articulate to our readers a few reasons why it is so important to create change in this area?

Every day American society continues to grow more dependent on digital connectivity. Unless we take action to narrow the digital divide, our society will continue to see widespread income, health, and educational inequality continue to increase, especially amongst low-income communities that may not have easy access to local educational resources, health centers, or a strong job market. We see this divide play out in underserved communities like tribal lands, where 18% of people are unable to access reliable internet when compared to the 4% of people living on non-tribal lands.

This has strong implications for the future. For example, reliable access to high-speed internet at home is correlated with higher grades and rates of homework completion. Children in homes without a reliable internet signal may potentially fall behind their peers by an entire school year or more, an issue highlighted by pandemic-era remote schooling mandates. Additionally, children with limited access to at-home internet use may miss out on developing critical technology skills with programs and software that could affect their future ability to jumpstart their career. Additionally, the divide encourages continued systemic inequality: the majority of Americans without reliable internet hail from low-income, rural, and ethnically diverse communities, who already face significant barriers to accessing education or quality healthcare.

What specific actions has your company or organization taken to address the digital divide, and how do you ensure that your efforts are making a positive impact in the communities you serve?

Ribbon is taking concrete steps to promote digital equity by helping our rural, tribal and utility customers build efficient, high-speed networks in areas typically ignored by other companies. One way we do this is by partnering with utility providers to build and scale networks that can meet the bandwidth and latency needs required to support activities like teleconferencing.

The networks best suited for these activities are IP optical networks, which are managed by our MUSE AI/ML based analytics engine, however, their deployment and management has often been hampered by expensive maintenance costs and a limited number of rural staff. We help rural communities expand these networks through our fiber management solution that enables staff to monitor fiber and network quality in real-time from a centralized control center, preventing network outages during critical work, school, and health activities. Additionally, our solutions deliver high-capacity routing and customization that fit the specific needs of each service provider, thus encouraging the build-out into rural areas.

What are some of the challenges that individuals or communities face when trying to bridge the digital divide?

Although federal funding to reduce the digital divide goes a long way to alleviating this issue, substantial barriers to change still remain. Community education and involvement is still a challenge. In order to successfully address the needs of individuals, institutions, and businesses in rural communities, service providers need to engage the local community with the network buildout process early on, to ensure it offers input on buildout plans and other important details.

Additionally, with many rural and tribal communities lacking full-time staff with broadband expertise, it’s up to companies like Ribbon to conduct broadband education to enable employees to understand funding programs like BEAD and how to take advantage of its offerings.

What role do you see technology companies playing in closing the digital divide, and what steps can they take to ensure that their products and services are accessible to all?

I believe the tech industry has a responsibility to make their products and services accessible to all Americans, regardless of regional location. There are a couple of places to start.

Education is the first step to creating a legacy of digital equity. With many remote communities constrained by limited staff and educational resources; tech companies can help by investing in digital education, and empowering local citizens to feel confident using technology that will enable them to further their career or schooling. Companies can conduct trainings and outreach at the local level to ensure no rural communities are left behind as cities adopt the latest technology and platforms.

Another challenge tech companies should address is investing in cost-effective solutions. Rural and underserved communities are often overlooked for tech investment due to the high costs associated with targeting hard-to-access communities. Companies concerned about ROI should explore the additional opportunities or partnerships that can expand tech access through affordable and flexible means.

Because of investment coming from the federal government, we have funding for great access to infrastructure and digital skills training. In your view, what other policy changes are needed to address the digital divide? How can companies and policymakers work together to implement these changes?

We all have our part to play in closing the digital divide — this is very much a team effort!

The federal government has come through with massive funding to fix the problem, which is fantastic. However sometimes it can be disconnected from what’s happening on the ground and lack the local expertise to understand what it will actually take to deliver highspeed broadband where it’s most needed. That means that some of their mandates and requirements may not translate well on the ground. It’s critical that they work hand in hand with state and local authorities as well as the providers in order to ensure these initiatives are carried out as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Each state of course has their own landscape and ecosystem to work through and some are much better prepared than others — those that are lagging will need additional support and that’s an area where the industry can come in. We have the expertise and the knowhow to help them build out their infrastructure in a way that supports their communities’ specific needs.

We are already in Web3.0. What should we be doing as leaders to ensure the next iteration(s) of the Web are green, accessible and beneficial to as many people as possible?

As Web 3.0 grows, industry leaders should verify they are implementing sustainable business practices that support green network development. At Ribbon, we are dedicated to supporting global connectivity while reducing our greenhouse gas emissions. With online interactions now the norm in so many areas, activities like real-time video communications are often characterized by their high energy consumption. Our recent Sustainability Report indicates the progress we’ve made over the last year to reduce emissions, while also connecting underserved and low-income communities across America.

Since 2018, we have reached a 16% reduction in absolute direct greenhouse gas emissions, more than halfway to our 2030 target. We have been able to achieve this through a series of sustainability initiatives including investing in renewable energy sources. For example, we converted an entire operation in Bengaluru, India to renewably sourced energy. And that’s just one example of what can be done — we should all make every effort to invest in similar renewable energy initiatives as internet consumption will only increase, thus creating the potential for more emissions.

What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why?

1. Don’t spend too much time worrying about what people think of you — that leads to people pleasing in the workplace and drives an unhealthy perfectionism. It can also lead you into situations that don’t serve you and leave you overwhelmed and unable to set boundaries for yourself. I’ve seen a lot of women, and men, not advocate for themselves or go for the roles they deserve out of fear of rocking the boat or upsetting coworkers, and that’s a loss for everyone involved.
2. Go for the big job — take that leap. In general women only apply to jobs they’re 90–100% qualified for while men apply to those they’re only 60% qualified for. That means women are leaving a lot of opportunities on the table. And if you do get offered the big job, take the risk! It can lead to a lot of growth. I’ve seen this countless times in this industry, where fear becomes the big driver and women (again, mostly,) miss out on opportunities and everyone around them misses out on their leadership and contributions.
3. Listen to those who are equally or more successful than you — I know that in my own life I sometimes got really bad or irrelevant advice from people who weren’t on the same path as I was. For example early on in my career in this male-dominated industry I was told that women shouldn’t go for tech jobs by people who weren’t in the field and had no real insights. Instead I went ahead and got a Master’s in telecom with an emphasis in electrical engineering. It wasn’t easy, and I even had a professor ask me if I was lost when I showed up to my engineering class but I pushed forward and got to where I am today. I’m not sure what the naysayers are doing.
4. Hard work pays off — I’ve been part of our industry for almost 30 years so I’ve seen a lot of changes across the board, most for the best. But one thing that absolutely hasn’t changed is that it takes hard work to move forward. As a single mother, it was challenging to balance raising my two sons with working, but I knew that this was an effort that would pay off. It’s also important to realize that it doesn’t get easier as you go up the ladder — you become more knowledgeable and confident but the challenges are bigger too, so working hard remains critical. I know this isn’t necessarily a popular thing to say but sometimes nothing replaces good old fashioned work ethic.
5. Find mentors and supporters — no matter how good you are, or wherever you are in your career, mentors and other allies will help you get better. They can teach you new things and help unearth new opportunities. I’ve had many mentors in my life and they’ve all made a difference for me. And the need for mentorship doesn’t diminish as you move forward — I have 2 wonderful mentors right now, both women I’ve knowns for 25+ years who are fantastic professionals but even more importantly incredible humans with great character and integrity.

What role can individuals play in closing the digital divide, and what steps can they take to support these efforts?

Change can be made at all levels of society to reduce the digital divide — you don’t have to rely on just the government and corporations to address this issue. You can get involved with local community, assisting with tech education and support. Some places call these “tech navigators,” but this can also look like community-based programs or groups dedicated towards helping everyday citizens access the internet and develop their digital skills in a way that is accessible to them.

The National Digital Inclusion Alliance invests in programs that help underserved populations navigate the often-complex world of digital transformation, with training and education in topics like accessing medical care, higher education, and internet resources. We cannot allow these Americans to fall behind the rest of the country in access to educational and career opportunities. By getting involved with a variety of initiatives devoted to making the internet and technology accessible to all, even one individual can have an impact.

How can our readers follow you online?

You can follow me on LinkedIn where I regularly share updates about the great work our rural team is doing to expand internet access in rural communities today, among other things.

This was very meaningful; thank you so much. We wish you only continued success in your great work!

About the Interviewer: Monica Sanders JD, LL.M, is the founder of “The Undivide Project”, an organization dedicated to creating climate resilience in underserved communities using good tech and the power of the Internet. She holds faculty roles at the Georgetown University Law Center and the Tulane University Disaster Resilience Leadership Academy. Professor Sanders also serves on several UN agency working groups. As an attorney, Monica has held senior roles in all three branches of government, private industry, and nonprofits. In her previous life, she was a journalist for seven years and the recipient of several awards, including an Emmy. Now the New Orleans native spends her time in solidarity with and championing change for those on the frontlines of climate change and digital divestment. Learn more about how to join her at: www.theundivideproject.org