What's Next For Broadband?
As BEAD and other funds begin to flow into states and communities, the landscape is evolving quickly and taking on new dimensions of opportunity and need. No longer simply about fast, reliable access, today's broadband advocates must take a myriad of new goals and considerations into account.
Join CBAN for three mornings of virtual learning and conversation designed to provide insight - and actionable ideas - to everyone working towards better broadband for all.
Tuesday, October 3, 2023
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10:00am |
Opening and Welcome |
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10:05am |
Sponsor Spotlight |
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10:07am |
Keynote: What's Next for Broadband?John Horrigan, Benton Institute
John Horrigan is a Benton Institute Senior Fellow and a respected national expert on digital equity policy, from USAC and the ACP to the critical role of skills training - and many things in between. |
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10:47am |
Sponsor Spotlight |
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10:49am |
Preparing for BEAD Host: Curtis Dean, CBAN Learn about avoiding common BEAD challenges for communities and for states, from red tape to letters of credit, procedural pitfalls and more. Guests: Chris Hall, National Telecommunications and Information Administration (confirmed); Other guest(s) TBD |
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11:29am |
Closing Remarks |
After years - in some cases, decades - of work to bring reliable broadband to everyone in America, we are finally on the blocks and waiting for the starting gun, when BEAD funds are dispersed and all the years of planning and incremental progress will finally come together for communities everywhere. But before we get too comfortable believing we know what pitfalls and opportunities the future holds, let's step back and get some perspective on where we've been to help us see forward clearly.
Wednesday, October 4, 2023
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10:00am |
Opening and Welcome |
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10:05am |
Sponsor Spotlight |
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10:07am |
Smart Cities: Key to Urban Digital Equity Hosts: Curtis Dean and Jon Willow, CBAN in broadband connections could serve to reinforce existing barriers instead. Guests: Ken Demlow, HR Green (confirmed) Deb Socia, The Enterprise Center (confirmed)
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10:47am |
Sponsor Spotlight |
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10:49am |
Mapping Your Broadband Ecosystem Host: Jon Willow, CBAN As local and regional digital equity ecoystems develop and evolve, information sharing and ongoing mapping of available resources will be key to digital equity success. Learn how Michigan and others are getting it done. Guests: Eric Frederick, CCO, Michigan High Speed Internet Office (confirmed); Wes Kerr, Connected Nation (confirmed) |
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11:29am |
Closing Remarks |
Thursday, October 5, 2023
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10:00am |
Opening and Welcome |
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10:05am |
Sponsor Spotlight |
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10:07am |
The Future of the Affordable Connectivity Program Host: Jon Willow, CBAN Current ACP funding is slated to be exhausted by mid-2024, sunsetting the program unless Congress acts. Learn about what's being done to ensure the program's future, and what you can do in your community to help keep the ACP strong. Guests: Tsion Tesfaye (confirmed), NDIA; Sean Gonsalves, Institute for Local Self-Reliance (confirmed) |
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10:47am |
Sponsor Spotlight |
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10:49am |
The Role of Devices in Digital Equity Host: Curtis Dean and Jon Willow, CBAN Wait, there's more to broadband access than connectivity? The need for quality, connected devices to achieve digital equity is finally being recognized on a broader scale. But which devices help the most, and how can communities tap into affordable device options? Guests: Karisa Tashjian, Digitunity (confirmed) |
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11:29am |
Closing Remarks |