Mike Sanders embraces his role as Oklahoma's chief broadband advocate

Yahoo

29-01-2025

If you ask Mike Sanders — or just look at his resume — it's pretty easy to see that he has extensive experience in both politics and state and federal government.
Long before his role in Oklahoma government, Sanders worked in the White House for President George W. Bush. He managed more than 1,000 interns and put policies and procedures in place that brought the White House Intern Program back to prominence.
Sanders also received the Distinguished Honor Award from President Bush for extraordinary service to the White House and nation on Sept. 11, 2011. In addition, Sanders held senior management positions in the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Rural Development and Natural Resource Conservation Service.
Then, a few years back, Sanders spent 12 years in the Oklahoma Legislature. He rose to become House majority leader and chaired the House Utilities Committee and Appropriations and Budget Subcommittee on Transportation.
That was then.
Today, Sanders is the chief executive officer of the Oklahoma Broadband Office. He says it's a new agency with the opportunity to make once-in-a-lifetime changes to state infrastructure. Broadband, or high-speed internet access, allows users to access the internet and internet-related services at significantly higher speeds than those available through "dial-up" services.
More: Oklahoma Broadband Office set to deliver an $750 million in infrastructure grants | Opinion
While less and less common, dial-up is sometimes the only choice available for rural or remote areas, where broadband installations are not prevalent due to low population density and high infrastructure cost.
Sanders' job? Make sure the agency properly distributes more than $1.3 billion in federal funds earmarked to expand broadband infrastructure throughout Oklahoma.
Sanders will take the federal government's investment and couple it with investments from private companies. The end result, he said, will be a dramatic change in the state's infrastructure and to its future.
It's a job, he said, he embraces — even if it may not be for the long-term.
Q: What got you initially involved in government and politics?
A: I was 9 years old, and I didn't know what a Republican was. Didn't know what a Democrat was. But I kept seeing this gentleman on television (President Ronald Reagan). He talked about America being that shiny city on the hill. He talked so optimistically about America — what she can be and what she will be. I remember sitting on the living room floor. I turned to my father and said, "Dad, that is exactly what I want to do when I grow up." I got bit by the bug at a young age. From then on out, I started to get myself involved in local and state politics.
Q: What background do you bring to the office?
A: During the last four years of Bush's tenure, I knew I would need more experience in policy. I needed some more meat and potatoes, if you will. That led me to be a political appointee as the deputy chief of staff for USDA Rural Development, helping rural communities thrive. That's where I first learned about broadband, and this was in 2004. That's how long we've been talking about broadband and connectivity.
Q: What makes this job as broadband chief different from the previous positions you've held?
A: I love what I do now, connecting Oklahomans and having the ability to get to that point. My goal, my mission, my commitment is to get Oklahoma connected. There is absolutely no doubt that all of these federal funds are going to be used in a very positive way.
This is going to help the economy. Not only will these funds help the state, but they will help the rural areas that have been left behind, kicked in the teeth. The funds will help level the playing field.
Q: What is the immediate impact of broadband expansion in Oklahoma?
A: This is going to make education more accessible. This is going to give opportunities for those small communities to invest in tourism, to improve. I think this is going to be an absolute game-changer. It's going to change the way that Oklahoma is perceived.
This moment that we're going through right now is as important as the electrification of the 1930s or interstate highway buildout of the 1950s. This is an infrastructure build out that is once in a lifetime. This is our moment.
Q: How will Oklahoma maintain this investment in broadband?
A: A trained workforce is, obviously, going to be necessary. But to get there, you have to give them (the workforce) the tools to make them successful, and that will be fiber. Fiber is the Number One tool, and it is the gold standard. Fixed wireless, as well, will be part of the solution. It's the fiber speed that is the future.
Q: Will highspeed broadband change the approach to medical care?
A: Think fiber. It's being able to live in a small town, such as Slick, Oklahoma. I'm a retiree, and I'm an hour and a half from Tulsa, and I have to get my medical records to a doctor. Looking at that and making sure that I don't necessarily have to leave my home, and I can send my medical records to a specialist, whether it be Tulsa or Oklahoma City or New York City or Dallas, I'm going to get the best medical care possible. The only way all of this happens is through this type of technology, and it's all about speed.
Q: So critics complain about federal spending. Your agency is all about federal spending. How do you respond to the critics?
A: There is always going to be politics. And politics is always going to play a role — but not in this office. What we're doing here at the Oklahoma Broadband Office is making sure that we make fantasy a reality. Broadband used to be called a luxury. It is now a necessity. I can assure you, it's the law of the land, and it's my job to make sure we deliver.
At the end of the day, these are Oklahoma tax dollars, and I would rather have Oklahoma tax dollars come to Oklahoma than, say, New Jersey or New York or Illinois. This is for Oklahomans. This is to improve their lives. I feel like this is a necessity, and I'm honored to be in this role.
M. Scott Carter is The Oklahoman's chief political reporter. This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Meet Mike Sanders, director of the Oklahoma Broadband Office