Upcoming event

INFORMED brings together key leaders and experts to engage around the biggest questions at the intersection of technology, media, and democracy.

Presented by Knight Foundation, the gathering will be an important opportunity for policymakers, researchers and the private sector to discuss the latest trends and research in this emerging field, while strengthening relationships that lead to more informed policy in the public interest.

The State of the Net Conference Series is hosted by the Internet Education Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to educating the public and policymakers about the potential of a decentralized global Internet to promote communications, commerce and democracy. IEF works closely with leaders on Capitol Hill and in the private sector to host the most important debates in Internet policy.

The Office of Broadband Development continues to develop strategies to implement Governor Parson’s historic plans of investing ARPA funding to increase broadband internet access, adoption, and assistance statewide.

Institutions, including schools, hospitals, and governments, have a duty to make their services universally accessible. But because the digital divide continues to impact communities across the country, they can't fully integrate internet-based technologies into their services because doing so would effectively deny service to people who cannot access the internet. As a result, these essential services can't leverage the benefits of technology to make their services more effective or efficient – and that impacts everyone, even the fully connected.

The Decade of Digital Inclusion convenes leading visionaries in technology, business, policy, and digital inclusion to help build pathways to digital equity by 2030. Through timely panel discussions and keynotes featuring leading visionaries, this event seeks to generate concrete solutions to the complex issue of digital inequality.

In addition to a lively virtual symposium, we will honor 2022 Marconi Fellow Siavash Alamouti, a serial entrepreneur and wireless innovator, at an in-person formal awards gala.

During the height of the pandemic and now in this present time of variants, policymakers, public interest groups, researchers, and citizens have been preoccupied with the lack of connectivity in the United States. Conversely, they have been at pains to ensure that everyone in the country has access to high speed, affordable internet (“broadband”). At the highest levels of power, this push for connection resulted in the passage of the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA).

Recently, financial technology (or fintech, for short) has been at the forefront of innovating traditional financial services models and challenging the status quo of banking. From mobile wallets to earned wage access, fintech companies are filling major gaps in financial services, while providing competitive alternatives to larger incumbents. This webinar will discuss the competitive positioning of fintechs, emerging industry trends and upcoming regulatory challenges.

A conversation about the state of cybersecurity, the ways marginalized communities are particularly vulnerable, how we can work together to educate people on threats they might face online, and what career opportunities these challenges can provide to members of all communities who are interested in helping to promote solutions.

The collection of high-quality data is of critical importance when tackling global issues like climate change, disaster response, and public health. But some groups have access to high-quality data about themselves and their communities and others don’t. Critical gaps in data hinder collaborative action on key global challenges. For example, countries vary in the quality and quantity of meteorological data collected, meaning climate risk prediction models for a given area may be inaccurate.

The agenda for the meeting will include a report of the Digital Empowerment and Inclusion (DEI) Working Group, including recommendations, for addressing digital redlining and other barriers that impact equitable access to broadband and other emerging technology in under-served and under-connected communities.

This agenda may be modified at the discretion of the CEDC Chair and the DFO.