Chris Utesch’s Post

During the recent National Association of Counties Annual Conference & Exposition, Cox Communications and Broadband Communities collaborated to address rural broadband expansion challenges with county officials. Key takeaways from the event include the vital role of broadband deployment in enhancing the economic vitality of counties. County officials expressed interest in partnering with organizations that prioritize affordability and digital literacy. Feedback from county officials resonated with a recent Cox survey, highlighting the positive impact of high-speed internet availability in previously unserved or underserved areas. Survey respondents noted that broadband access stimulates economic growth, reduces the education gap, and encourages younger generations to stay in their communities for enhanced learning and work opportunities. Moreover, 86% of consumers highlighted that access to broadband has significantly improved their lives. #BroadbandExpansion #DigitalEquity #RuralCommunities #EconomicDevelopment #HighSpeedInternet #DigitalLiteracy #RemoteLearning #CoxCommunications #BroadbandCommunities #NationalAssociationOfCounties #SurveyResults

The public will be hearing more about the US government's $42 billion-dollar, Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program. Local lawmakers and public officials should know the potential impacts of this program are on their communities. The program provides funding for the development of broadband infrastructure, ensuring that more areas have access to high-speed Internet. This is crucial for communities that are currently unserved or underserved. But what does it really mean? The program provides for funding of local broadband infrastructure development. Which will provide for greater economic development, job creation and business growth. Broadband will add to each communities' public safety, health, and educational opportunities, government planning capacities and community outreach. Local governments should be proactive in preparing for BEAD by assessing current and future broadband needs, developing data and strategic plans and considering whether directly deploying or funding broadband infrastructure is a viable solution for your community. Now is the time to plan because the opportunity is present. Not acting increases the possibilities that local rural communities run the risk of falling further behind in the technical and digital divide https://lnkd.in/gbKCx7Ts

According to the June 4th Benton Institute for Broadband & Society Digital Beat article, Neighbors Providing Service to Neighbors, Vermont's Approach to Community Broadband, "In 2019, The Vermont Department of Public Service found that nearly a quarter of Vermont addresses lacked service that met the then federal benchmarks for broadband speeds...The COVID-19 pandemic only underscored the urgent need in a state that has consistently ranked near the bottom of connectivity comparisons over the past decade." The article continued to explain how Vermont communities organized and innovated, setting a model for the rest of the nation to follow in using Communications Union Districts (CUDs) as a solution. "Through these CUDs, Vermonters in 216 of the state's 252 towns are combining forces to improve broadband access for their communities. It is, as State Representative Laura Sibilia puts it, "neighbors providing service to neighbors." Click the link below to read the full article which details the history of the formation of ECFiber, including mentions of current ECFiber Board Chair F. X. Flinn and former co-founder and CFO Stan Williams, a review of Vermont Act 71, created to accelerate community broadband development, the creation of the Vermont Community Broadband Board as well as other Vermont CUDs - NEK Broadband, DVFiber, and CVFiber. https://lnkd.in/gSzQ9A85 #ECFiber #communitybroadband #CUDs #vermont #broadband

The nation’s internet infrastructure has been largely left to market forces to build — with uneven results. While connectivity has become an essential utility, 40 million Americans are still waiting to be connected. Closing this digital divide means changing the way we build broadband. 🖊 In Impact Entrepreneur, Connect Humanity CEO Jochai Ben-Avie explains how impact investors can drive this change and unlock the necessary financing for community-focused broadband projects, bringing high-speed internet to areas not reached by invisible hand of the market: https://lnkd.in/g7v-3t7G Learn how leaders like Joe Turnham in Macon County, Alabama saw broadband as key to the community's economic growth, and rallied mission-aligned partners to fund and build a state-of-the-art fiber network, attracting millions of dollars in investment to the County. https://lnkd.in/g7v-3t7G What do you think? Share your reactions in the comments! H/T K. Lynne (Kathy) Stewart, Christa Wagner Vinson, Rural LISC, Made in Alabama - Alabama Department of Commerce, Community Broadband Networks, Brian Vo, Laurie Lane-Zucker. #RuralBroadband #ImpactFinance #ImpactInvesting #DigitalDivide

As the Affordable Connectivity Program looks set to wind down over the next two months, millions of American families will face a choice between internet service and other daily essentials. But as Sean Gonsalves explains, there are host of communities that better prepared than others to absorb the blow of the ACP's demise. For the The American Prospect, Gonsalves profiles Chattanooga, Tennessee; Fort Collins, Colorado; Hillsboro, Oregon; and Pharr, Texas — four cities where residents have access to fast fiber internet, for as low as $10/month. What do all these communities have in common? They have community-focused, municipal broadband networks that prioritize the interests of local people. Or as Gonsalves puts it, they "treat high-speed internet access more like a utility that seeds transformative economic development, rather than a profit-maximizing business venture primarily concerned with lining shareholder pockets". ACP subsidies are necessary only because broadband is unaffordable for so many. Americans face some of the highest rates in the world, driven by an uncompetitive market where people frequently have one, maybe two, providers to chose from. Yes, Congress must urgently renew funding for ACP. But, beyond that, we must focus on the underlying affordability problem that has become the biggest barrier to internet access. Cities like Chattanooga, Fort Collins, Hillsboro, and the City of Pharr are showing that community-first solutions to this problem are available. 🔗 Read the article: https://lnkd.in/ea6q8zg7 #DigitalEquity #Broadband #InternetForAll #CommunityDevelopment #DigitalDivide H/t City of Pharr, TX | EPB | The Enterprise Center | Fort Collins Connexion | City of Hillsboro | Institute for Local Self-Reliance | Community Broadband Networks

Check out the latest opinion piece from former FCC Commissioners Mignon Clyburn and Michael O'Rielly on the importance of the Affordable Connectivity Program, and the economic case of why Congress should extend it so that low-income families don't lose their broadband connectivity. #FundACP https://lnkd.in/eQZ77aEb

In 2022 the Adams admin killed NYCs plan to build municipal broadband infrastructure. In the years since then, almost 1 million New Yorkers relied on the federal Affordable Connectivity Program for high speed internet subsidies towards Verizon, Spectrum or Optimum aka Big Internet. With the federal program out of money this year and the city’s bandaid solution Big Apple Connect set to expire in 2025, these New Yorkers are at risk of losing high speed internet. At the same time, libraries, often a haven for internet usage, are also reducing hours due to budget cuts. For anyone reading this, you probably take high speed internet (to work, study, video call, watch tv, even…use AI tools) for granted. But in 2024 Big Internet has ensured it is not a universal right. When will we stop relying on Big Internet to “do the right thing”(I’m not even getting into issues of throttling speed or limiting infra to lower income neighborhoods)? What can we learn from mutual aid when it comes to broadband access? How can we support projects like NYC Mesh to take things into our own hands and provide reliable and sustainable high speed internet to New Yorkers?

Did you know that over 200,000 homes in South L.A., East L.A., and Boyle Heights don’t have Broadband internet access? Now with the development of the Community Broadband Networks, these homes will receive access to the internet services that they need, at a significantly lower cost, closing the gap in technology equity also known as the digital divide. Outcomes like these are one of the reasons that I love strategic communications. It goes beyond the business outcomes to create equitable changes for our communities and our lives by raising awareness, increasing engagement, and advocating for change. Here are a few communication strategies that the Digital Equity Team probably used to achieve these results, leading to greater access and upward mobility for low-income communities across L.A. 🔍 Research and Messaging: Initially, strategic communications teams likely researched to understand the needs and preferences of the target communities. This information helps in crafting messages that resonate with these communities, emphasizing benefits such as affordability and accessibility. 🤝 Partnership Coordination: Strategic communications were most likely integral in coordinating and maintaining relationships between government bodies and private sector partners through public-private partnerships. Leveraging effective communications they most likely worked to ensure alignment of goals, clarity of roles, and streamlined execution. 💡 Public Announcements and Awareness: Announcing the launch of the broadband service definitely involved careful planning to ensure that the message was clear and accessible to all stakeholders. Additionally, strategic communications teams likely designed a rollout strategy for announcements, using press releases, social media, community meetings, and possibly direct mail or local advertising to reach a broad audience. ⚖ Advocacy and Policy Support: Advocacy efforts most likely included creating briefing materials, presentations for stakeholders, and talking points for public officials to help gain support for the initiative at both the policy and community levels. 🚨 Crisis and Feedback Management: Post-announcement, strategic communications teams were probably responsible for managing feedback and potential criticisms. This involves monitoring public reaction, addressing concerns through FAQs, direct responses, or adjusting communication strategies as needed to maintain public trust and support for the initiative. 📣 Ongoing Engagement and Education: As the project moved forward, maintaining public interest and engagement was crucial. Strategic communications would handle ongoing updates, educational campaigns about how to sign up and benefit from the service, and success stories to ensure sustained interest and participation. Congrats to the Digital Equity Team and powerhouse Shayna Englin who serves as the Director of the Digital Equity Initiative at the California Community Foundation on a job well done!

Advocates urge Calif. residents to challenge FCC maps Residents in California are urged to challenge the FCC's internet access maps to ensure funding is distributed fairly and where it is needed. Philip Neufeld of the Fresno Coalition for Digital Inclusion says an open-source tool that gathers internet speed tests "shows is that it's not just people in rural areas who have a real need for better internet. It's people in urban, low-income neighborhoods in apartment buildings and mobile home parks, and these patterns are showing up across multiple large cities that have higher poverty." https://lnkd.in/gDtqbTbM

In many ways, it's a common scenario. Organizations that make a significant impact on their communities often operate with limited budgets. Anchor institutions such as libraries, schools, and nonprofits carry out extensive and vital work, yet they are frequently challenged by limited resources. It's essential for these organizations to actively pursue and secure support from diverse sectors to effectively cover their operating costs and program budgets. By fostering partnerships and collaborations, they can ensure sustainable financial stability and continue making a meaningful impact within their communities. Here are 3 Ways to Get Funding For Internet Hotspots: 1. Internet Funding Assistance for Schools and Libraries — E-Rate Program 2. Internet Funding Assistance for States - The BEAD Program 3. Internet Funding for Households - Affordable Connectivity Program Government assistance programs have the potential to make a big dent in digital inequity. Read more about how partnering with Mobile Citizen can help you and your community always stay connected Link: https://lnkd.in/eg5knh4m