Upcoming event

While much of the focus and funding for broadband is on last-mile access, the middle mile (aggregation network) cannot be ignored. Many of the rural areas with unserved households are located many hundreds of miles from the nearest internet point of presence (PoP). The middle mile is defined by the NTIA as any infrastructure that is not connected directly to an end-user. Many rural providers are banding together to create a middle mile network to aggregate all the broadband traffic from various entities to one or more internet PoPs.

The Fiber Broadband Association has sponsored a large random study of online consumers for 16 years now to monitor trends in broadband performance, satisfaction, life impacts, and more. The 2022 Study broke new ground, digging deeper into the ways that high quality broadband – especially fiber – is making a difference in the world. Join us on Fiber for Breakfast and see how fiber to the home is impacting the lives of those in low income and minority categories in terms of education, healthcare, entrepreneurship, and job quality.

City-first programming that inspires real conversation, meaningful connection, and approachable action in local communities.

Join Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband (SHLB) Coalition and the State E-rate Coordinators' Alliance (SECA) and distinguished E-rate visionaries to celebrate the program's 25th anniversary of bringing affordable broadband to America's schools and libraries.

Drinks and light hors d'oeuvres will be served.

The reception is free and open to past and present supporters of the E-rate program.

Presenter
Francella Ochillo, Executive Director of Next Century Cities

Description
Local governments are the lead architects for broadband programs in their communities. Coordinating with state offices can introduce additional resources and partnership opportunities that cross municipal boundaries. This webinar will explore:

• Strategies for working with a state broadband office

A symposium to focus on developing, implementing, and maintaining a sustainable national spectrum strategy along with a focus on evolving spectrum management techniques. These focal points will enable the United States to strengthen its global leadership role in the introduction of new wireless telecommunications technologies, services, and innovations, while also supporting the expansion of existing technologies and the nation’s homeland security and public safety, national defense, scientific and technological advancement, and other critical government missions.

This briefing provided by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) will provide an update on HBCU awardees of the Connecting Minority Communities Pilot Program and discuss how both awardees and applicants can position themselves and their surrounding communities for inclusion in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) Broadband Programs. The focus of this session will be on participating in and preparedness for the Broadband Access and Equity Deployment (BEAD) and Digital Equity (DE) grant programs.