The community of Floyd announced today that Citizens Telephone Cooperative (Citizens) was recently named a
Smart Rural Community℠ (SRC) provider by NTCA--The Rural Broadband Association. SRC is a national
network of communities powered by innovative rural broadband providers that are building a brighter future for
small-town America. The program promotes rural broadband and its role in supporting innovative economic
development, effective education, efficient energy distribution and use, state-of-the-art health care, and other
important issues for rural America.

In order to receive recognition as an SRC provider, Citizens was required to affirm that it offers 25/3 Mbps
broadband to at least 50% of its service area; that it has broadband subscription rates of at least 50%; and that
it is committed to program principles of collaboration and innovation. As a result of Citizens’ national recognition,
Floyd will now be celebrated as a Smart Rural Community in program materials and online at
www.smartruralcommunity.com, joining a national network of similarly innovative communities.

“The county of Floyd salutes Citizens for its hard work to meet and exceed these standards by offering up to 1
Gbps with their current fiber-to-the-home deployment, which enables our residents to fully participate in today’s
connected society,” said Floyd County Administrator, Dr. Linda Millsaps. “Because of access to high-speed
internet, Floyd provides its residents with educational and economic opportunities on par with those in the most
connected regions of America.”

NTCA Chief Executive Officer Shirley Bloomfield also recognized Citizens Telephone Cooperative for this
achievement, noting, “We are so excited to welcome another Smart Rural Community provider into this growing
network of innovative broadband providers delivering the Internet’s fastest speeds in some of the most remote
and rural communities of our country. I applaud Citizens and the Floyd community for their commitment to
enabling cutting-edge technologies that drive innovation and promote economic development in their region and
nationwide.”

About NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association NTCA—The Rural Broadband Association is the premier
association representing nearly 850 independent, community-based telecommunications companies that are
leading innovation in rural and small-town America. NTCA members are leading the technological evolution for
rural consumers, delivering robust and high-quality services over future-proof networks that make rural
communities vibrant places in which to live and do business.