Documentary Film Follows Workers Connecting Rural America

The Internet & Television Association’s new documentary film "Every Last Mile" shows efforts made by internet service providers to bring modern internet access to rural and remote communities in America.

Filmed on location in Alaska, Arizona, and Minnesota, the documentary follows cable crews working to "bridge the digital divide," according to a press release.

"Everyone understands the importance of connecting all communities to fast and reliable internet access, but few have seen just how daunting that work can be," said Michael Powell, President & CEO, NCTA – The Internet & Television Association. "Every Last Mile tells the story of the monumental challenges faced by America's cable industry every day to extend broadband into rural, unserved communities across the country, and we won't quit until the job is done."

The film follows GCI, Mediacom Communications, and Cox Communications crews as they work in Alaska, Minnesota, and Arizona communities, respectively. The GCI team worked to connect King Cove, Alaska, a remote fishing community with a population of 855 that is accessible only by air and sea on the Pacific side of the Alaska Peninsula.

The Mediacom crew installed a new fiber network in Lakewood Township before Minnesota’s harsh winter shutdown work, but the 70-mile project was completed this spring.

The Cox team "overcame operational challenges and the desert heat to deliver high-speed internet" to the remote community of Congress, located in Arizona’s largest county.

The film was directed by Baltimore-based filmmaker Lee Morton using a two-camera setup and a drone. The film contains landscape shots and ground-level footage that together. The NCTA hopes the film "immerses viewers in the day-to-day challenges and triumphs of the teams connecting remote areas to the digital world."

You can watch the film here.