The National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors (NATOA) Board of Directors named Charles Benton the recipient of NATOA's 2015 Community Broadband Visionary Award to recognize Benton's lifetime of extraordinary support and advocacy for the development and proliferation of local community broadband systems.
In announcing the award, NATOA's board wrote: "Charles was an early and consistent champion for digital inclusion and municipal participation in broadband and he encouraged cities, many for the first time, to examine their role in promoting broadband."
"The Benton Foundation is honored to receive the 2015 Community Broadband Visionary Award on behalf of our founder, Charles Benton, who fervently believed that wise telecommunications policy can improve the quality of life for all," said Benton Foundation Executive Director Adrianne B. Furniss. "We are carrying on his work, most recently through the publication of The Next Generation Connectivity Handbook: a Guide for Community Leaders Seeking Affordable Abundant Bandwidth, a comprehensive guide for communities who want better broadband for their residents and businesses. We trust this handbook will empower local leadership to improve broadband deployment and adoption in local communities nationwide."
The National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors is the premier local government professional association that provides support to our members on the many local, state, and federal communications laws, administrative rulings, judicial decisions, and technology issues impacting the interests of local governments.
The Benton Foundation works to ensure that media and telecommunications serve the public interest and enhance our democracy. We pursue this mission by: 1) seeking policy solutions that support the values of access, diversity and equity; 2) demonstrating the value of media and telecommunications for improving the quality of life for all; and 3) providing information resources to policymakers and advocates to inform communications policy debates.
Contacts:
Steve Traylor
Executive Director/General Counsel
NATOA
703.519.8035
Adrianne Furniss
Executive Director
Benton Foundation
847.328.3049