Fourteen congressional staff members from across the country visited Dakota State University Tuesday to learn how South Dakota has expanded rural broadband and how communities can protect the technology and services that connectivity makes possible.

The staff members, representing U.S. House and Senate offices and congressional committees, were part of a multistate educational tour examining broadband’s role in rural communities.

At DSU, they learned how broadband supports education, workforce development, healthcare, agriculture, government services, research and economic development.

Mike Waldner, DSU’s director of SecureSD and Project Boundary Fence, discussed South Dakota’s broadband development and DSU’s role in statewide technology initiatives.

Waldner says DSU has been involved in the state’s technology efforts for more than two decades, helping develop projects that continue to benefit communities today.

The visit also focused on cybersecurity and protecting the networks and sensitive information that increasingly depend on broadband.

SecureSD works with municipalities, counties and water systems to strengthen cybersecurity through technical assistance, training, secure technology solutions and incident-response planning.

Waldner says he hopes the congressional staff members will take South Dakota’s collaborative approach back to their states.

He also says DSU is positioned to remain a leader in emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, quantum computing and cybersecurity.