Rural Broadband Workshop -- Austin (TX)

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) will hold a regional educational workshop on rural broadband on September 18, 2008 in Austin, Texas.

The workshop will be held at the Thompson Conference Center on the campus of the University of Texas-Austin from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. The workshop will be held free of charge; however, attendees will be responsible for providing their own transportation, lodging, and meals. An email will be sent to all registrants with the agenda as well as specific logistical information.

This workshop is designed to provide communities, organizations, and businesses in rural America seeking to bring the benefits of broadband to their communities with an opportunity to learn about the resources, programs, and policies of the FCC and USDA. The topics to be covered at the workshop include the following: different technology platforms used to provide broadband services, USDA funding for broadband deployment, the Universal Service Fund, the FCC's Rural Health Care Pilot program, and wireless spectrum access. The workshop will also provide communities and organizations with an opportunity to share their experiences about broadband deployment in rural and hard-to-reach areas.

For additional information about the workshop, please visit the FCC's website at http://wireless.fcc.gov/outreach/ruralbroadband/workshop; send an email to ruralworkshop@fcc.gov; or contact Cecilia Sulhoff at (202) 418-0587 or Matt Nodine at (202) 418-1646. Further information on rural programs is available on the FCC/USDA Broadband Opportunities for Rural America website at http://wireless.fcc.gov/outreach/ruralbroadband, at a local USDA Rural Development office, and on the USDA's web site at http://www.rurdev.usda.gov.

http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-285160A1.doc