Upcoming event

Federal data can help state and local leaders and businesses understand what drives broadband adoption and utilization in their communities and target the digital divide. Learn about federal data sources, current trends, and where to access local information to inform your broadband efforts. NTIA will present the findings from their 2019 Internet Use Survey, and the U.S. Census Bureau will highlight the broadband and connectivity data available in their American Community Survey.

Speakers:

An update on the work being done by Internet industry companies to ensure the continued operations of the Internet’s infrastructure during the COVID-19 crisis.

FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr and Cooley partner and former FCC Commissioner Robert McDowell will host a virtual town hall to discuss the FCC’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as broadband, wireless infrastructure, broadcast, telehealth, the future of 5G, politics and more. 

There is more information shared on social media than any other time in history, and the information is not always factual. What can big tech companies like Facebook and Twitter do to regulate misinformation without infringing on users’ right to free speech? Will the government regulate these companies, and what would that look like? How will this help or hurt the coming elections? 

The spectrum debate rests squarely on one central question: How can we widen our 5G broadband footprint?

In 1989, Tim Berners-Lee created the World Wide Web. Almost two decades later, he launched Inrupt, a startup set out to reshape the internet by putting personal data back in the hands of individuals. Join our talk with Berners-Lee and his Inrupt co-founder John Bruce about whether or not the internet’s dependence on advertising is sustainable. They’ll also cover how, as we all work and learn from home, internet connectivity has now more than ever become an equality issue.

Cambridge Analytica, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), and the California Consumer Privacy Act propelled federal privacy legislation to unprecedented momentum at the outset of the 116th Congress. Legislative proposals from both sides of the aisle, including Sen. Maria Cantwell’s (D-Wash.) Consumer Online Privacy Rights Act and Sen. Roger Wicker’s (R-Miss.) United States Consumer Data Privacy Act, showed promising development and consensus on many provisions.

At the height of the last recession, the federal government invested $2 billion in community colleges to create innovative workforce programs through the Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training grants.

Description: As we all navigate through the new normal of social distancing having a strong digital advocacy strategy for your memers and clients has become essential to success. Join us to learn the best strategies to mobilize your members and clients to participate in political advocacy through the use of technology and social media. 

Speaker: Eric Storey, Director of Grassroots and Digital Advocacy, American Bar Association

As the country and the world at large attempt re-openings, what new and unexpected issues may arise? What are the opportunities and even obligations of public libraries to support the monumental task of school openings this fall? Have the public budget crunches started landing yet?

And perhaps most urgent, how to provide neighborhood library access stations as drive-up or walk-up hotspots for those lacking other connections? And that’s only the starting point for a raft of usability /skills questions. Millions more new users will need training and ongoing support.