Mayors Mull Broadband Future

The US Conference of Mayors and the Knight Center of Digital Excellence hosted a Sunday discussion about how making investments in broadband technology can connect, enable, and transform communities. The event took place in conjunction with the mayors' annual winter meeting in Washington. Panelists included USCM President Manny Diaz, mayor of Miami; Akron, Ohio Mayor Donald Plusquellic; Knight Foundation President Alberto Ibarguen and others. At the organization's June meeting, members voted in favor of a resolution calling on the president, Congress and the FCC to develop a comprehensive national broadband strategy that includes high-speed deployment to cities as an imperative and preserves the ability of local governments to provide broadband capability and services within their communities. The resolution also urged the FCC to begin immediately collecting detailed information on broadband coverage and use and share said data with local governments.