As we trudge through the snow in Minneapolis, we dream about spring weather and Net Inclusion 2020. It’s one of our favorite annual events and this year folks will gather in Portland, Oregon, to discuss all things digital inclusion. This year, the event is April 7th - 9th.

Learn more and register here.

The annual event, hosted by the National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA), brings together people concerned with digital equity and how to expand it. Policy experts, Internet access providers, and community leaders gather together in order to examine the issue of digital inclusion. Some of the conversations and presentations include:

Local, state and federal policies and policy innovations impacting digital equity

Sources of financial and programmatic support of digital inclusion programs

Digital inclusion best practices from across the country

The first day of the conference will consist of workshop events in the morning hours and site tours in the afternoon. Some of the locations attendees will visit include Free Geek, Open Signal, and the Boys & Girls Club. Wednesday, April 8th, will be dedicated to interactive sessions, as will the morning of April 9th.

Learn more specifics from the schedule here, where you can also check out the growing lost of speakers. Get your tickets before February 8th and receive a discount!

Quick as Lightning

One of the unique features of the Net Inclusion event is the ability for new, creative digital inclusion initiatives to present their ideas at the Lightning Round presentations:

Since our first Net Inclusion in Kansas City in 2016, NDIA has featured Lightning Rounds in plenary sessions as a way to shine a spotlight on dozens of great digital inclusion initiatives, and to encourage peer-to-peer networking among our affiliates and friends. Think of it as a beacon to find the people you’d love to have a hallway conversation with.  

This spring, the Rural Assembly will hold a Rural Youth Summit in McAllen, Texas, to discuss the issues young people consider important. The orgaization will fund the the event, including expenses for attendees, and bring fifty people between the ages of 16 - 24 together; apply now or nominate some one you think should attend. Nominations and applications are due by January 31st.

What is the Rural Assembly Youth Summit?

The event is scheduled for April 2 - 5, 2020, and the aim is to bring together a diverse group of young people from rural regions. The Rural Assembly wants to encourage discussions about rural geographies and identities, including income, race, culture, faith, accessibility, gender, and sexual orientation. Young people in rural areas face different challenges than those in other communities and the goal is to bring them together to explore ways to address the issues and create national rural policies to address those challenges.

Who Should Attend?

The Rural Assembly will cover travel, lodging, and food for all participants in the 2020 Rural Youth Assembly. Here's who they hope will attend:

The Rural Assembly is seeking young people who are interested in rural and Native issues and invested in strengthening their communities. We look for individuals who are willing to engage in respectful and sometimes challenging conversations, and are committed to finding common ground to create solutions. Most importantly, we seek participants who are excited and enthusiastic about making an impact in their local communities.

If you know some one who you'd like to nominate, the Rural Assembly suggests they be "mature and thoughtful leaders" age 16 - 24 with:

One of the most respected and well-known organizations dedicated to improving the lives of people in rural Minnesota, the Blandin Foundation, has honored Christopher Mitchell, Director of the Community Broadband Networks Initiative at the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, with the Courageous Leadership Award.

The award was recently presented at the 2019 Blandin Broadband Conference in Nisswa, Minnesota.

The Blandin Foundation listed some of the many reasons for awarding the recognition to Christopher:

For his research, advocacy and leadership at the national level on behalf of community broadband networks, via public sector ownership and cooperatives, as a strategy for maximizing community benefits from broadband network development.

• Director of the Community Broadband Networks Initiative at the Institute for Local Self-Reliance where he researches and publicizes the benefits of community-owned broadband systems.
• Honored as one of the 2012 Top 25 in Public Sector Technology nationally by Government Technology magazine.
• Leads MuniNetworks.org, a comprehensive online clearinghouse of information about community broadband. Chris is also policy director at Next Century Cities, a national community broadband advocacy organization.

In response, Christopher said:

“It is an honor for our work to be recognized by the Blandin Foundation, which has done so much for Greater Minnesota. Achieving the promise of Border-to-Border broadband Internet access requires contributions from everyone, especially communities themselves. We have always felt that Internet access — a service that education already depends upon and medicine soon will — needs much more local leadership. That leadership is what we have seen from the communities that are reaping the rewards of the best connectivity available today.”

Read more about the award and read a the transcript of an interview with Christopher about his work on municipal broadband and about being a leader at the Blandin Foundation's website.

This week is Digital Inclusion Week, sponsored by the National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA). As a reader of MuniNetworks.org, you're used to stories about local communities that develop strategies to deploy networks for many reasons, including to improve access to high-quality connectivity. These local communities recognize the necessity of finding a way for members of the community to obtain fast, affordable, reliable Internet access. Access, however, is only one element of digital inclusion. We'll share stories highlighting local efforts to bring every person online with the tools they need to expand their use of the Internet.

NDIA writes:

Digital Inclusion Week (DIW)  is October 7-11, 2019, and with your help we can move closer to our common goal: that all people have access to the Internet and the tools they need to use it. The week, sponsored by the National Digital Inclusion Alliance, is an opportunity to raise awareness about digital inequities and nationwide efforts to close those gaps from California to the Carolinas. Digital Inclusion Week seeks to bring people who dedicate their lives to Digital Inclusion together to highlight the impact of their work and to come together to find solutions to close digital divides.

What is Digital Inclusion?

Digital inclusion isn't limited to the inability to subscribe to Internet access because one doesn't live in a place where is isn't available. NDIA applies five necessary elements:

Digital Inclusion refers to the activities necessary to ensure that all individuals and communities, including the most disadvantaged, have access to and use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs).  This includes 5 elements: 

1) affordable, robust broadband Internet service; 

2) Internet-enabled devices that meet the needs of the user; 

3) access to digital literacy training; 

4) quality technical support; and 

5) applications and online content designed to enable and encourage self-sufficiency, participation and collaboration. 

Digital Inclusion must evolve as technology advances. Digital Inclusion requires intentional strategies and investments to reduce and eliminate historical, institutional and structural barriers to access and use technology.

The Blandin Foundation will be holding its 2019 Broadband Conference in October at Grand View Lodge, Nisswa, Minnesota. This year, the title of the event is “Innovation - Putting Broadband to Work.” The event will start on October 8th and will end on the 10th.

From Blandin on Broadband:

Broadband access today is as varied as communities across Minnesota. Some enjoy a gig, others are working hard for any service, and the rest are somewhere in between. This conference is for all communities, regardless of where they are on the spectrum – because we’ve learned that having broadband isn’t enough. It takes inspiration, encouragement and guidance to reap the full benefits. We’ll be talking about how to make the most of what you’ve got and/or get more.

Join us, along with presenters from local governments, cooperatives, and the private sector such as:

• Intelligent Community Forum

• Telecommunications and Information Applications, National Telecommunications and Information Agency (NTIA)

• PCs for People

• Finley Engineering


The conference will start with a presentation from the Co-founder and Board President of Intelligent Community Forum, John Jung. Jung will discuss examples of effective intelligent community approaches and review best practices.

The event will be filled with panels and presenters that offer the latest in research and practical applications. Panel discussions will include:

• Fiber and wireless technologies as complements
• Establishing benchmarks to measure progress
• Cooperatives' growing role in local deployment
• Education, healthcare, and the last mile
• Closing the digital divide and panels on cultural awareness training

Join our very own Director of the Community Broadband Networks Initiative Christopher Mitchell, in his panel "Local Solutions for Globally Competitive Connectivity."

There’s still time to register for the Great Lakes Connect Broadband Development Conference from September 30th to October 2nd! Join broadband leaders from around the region in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, to discuss, “The Future of Digital Communities”. This will be a great opportunity to network with others, hear from engaging speakers, and share resources. Check out the full agenda for details, and complete your registration here.  

Something for Everyone

Attendees can choose from three different conference tracks: 

• Community Development - Planning and financing connectivity solutions. 
• Emerging Technologies - Strategies and best practices for smart cities. 
• Midwest Community Use Case Studies - Telling the unique stories of Midwest communities. 

See You There!

We’re excited to be participating in this event ourselves! The Institute for Local Self-Reliance’s Christopher Mitchell and Katie Kienbaum will be presenting on a panel on Oct. 1st about how municipal and cooperative networks can provide unique benefits to communities. Don’t miss out on the conversation: register today. 

Broadband Communities Mag has celebrated the unsung heroes of community broadband by sharing their stories so others can learn from local challenges and victories. This autumn, travel to Washington, D.C., to get noisy about those places implementing better connectivity in their communities without fanfare. October 30 and 31, Broadband Communities will bring several to their conference in a panel hosted by Christopher. There’s still plenty of time to sign up for the conference, and put the conversation, “Quiet Success in Community Broadband,” on your schedule.

Register here for the conference. Public Officials and Community Representatives receive a discounted rate of $175.

In the Nation’s Capital

This year’s conference, titled “High-Speed Broadband: Driving America’s Growth,” will take place in Washington, D.C. Organizers decided to hold the event at The Westin Alexandria Old Town in the D.C. metro because, “We believe the federal government must play a pivotal role in bridging the digital divide. The involvement of Washington lawmakers and policy-setters is crucial to solving the problem.”

Folks arriving on October 29th can get acquainted at a welcome reception that evening; panel discussions begin the following morning. Christopher’s panel, scheduled for 9:40 a.m. on October 30th, brings together officials from four networks that aren’t usually on the front page:

• Jason Grey – Director of Utilities, City of Danville, Virgnia
• Robert Bridgham – Executive Director, Eastern Shore of Virginia Broadband Authority
• Richard J. Sherwin – CEO, Spot On Networks, LLC
• Mel Poole – Director, OCALA Fiber Network

The discussion will be an opportunity to learn about approaches that these quiet heroes are taking to improve connectivity in their communities.

View the other panels, presentation topics, and speakers on the conference agenda.

Over the past several years, Boulder has worked methodically to research how they want to move forward with a publicly owned network. The city has determined that the first step will be deploying a fiber optic backbone, to be completed by 2022. In order to help interested vendors learn more about the project prior to issuing the Request for Proposals (RFP), the city will hold a webinar on August 29th at 9 a.m. MDT.

Register for the webinar here.

As described by the city:

Hosted by the City of Boulder’s Chief Innovation and Technology Officer, Julia Richman, the webinar will outline the initiative’s background and progress to date.  In addition, the city will also cover the high-level specifications and expectations for construction services, while also providing an expected solicitation timeline.

Boulder is building the first step of a world-class community telecommunications infrastructure for the 21st Century and beyond.  Broadband connectivity is a critical infrastructure service for quality of modern life, as is the case with roads, water, sewer and electricity.

The webinar will take place via teleconference and if time allows, the city will open the floor for a brief Question & Answer period.

Ready to Build

Earlier this month, the Boulder City Council voted to issue certificates of participation in the amount of $20 million to finance backbone construction. Certificates will be sold in September.

The 65-mile backbone will take about two years to complete and city leaders hope to wrap up preliminary contracts in order to begin construction in December. While they hope to finish this phase of the project by early 2022, Boulder officials acknowledge that this is a “high-level” schedule and subject to change.

As you make plans for the fall, consider adding Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, to your list. From September 30th to October 2nd, broadband experts, advocates, and practitioners will be gathering there for the Great Lakes Connect Broadband Development Conference.

Register here and learn more about the speakers, venue, and exhibitors.

Looking Ahead

This year’s conference theme is “The Future of Digital Communities” and will include three tracks:

• Community Development (Planning, Financing, Fiber, Wireless, Mobile)
• Digital/Smart Community Infrastructure
• Public Safety

Christopher will be speaking at the event and will be added to the agenda as it develops. If you attended the 2018 event in Fairlawn, Ohio, you’ll remember the many opportunities to hear speakers and panels discussing last year’s topic, “Creating Intelligent Network Infrastructure to Compete in the Global Economy.” Organizers expect another interesting gathering where folks can share knowledge and opinions.

You can watch videos from last year’s conference here.

Plan Your Participation

Government employees can register for a reduced rate and organizers are offering a single day rate for people who are not able to attend the full conference. Register here. 

The conference will be at The Abbey Resort and Avani Spa located at Lake Geneva. The community is about an hour southwest of Milwaukee. Check out this short video on the resort:

Check back fequently as organizers develop the agenda to help you plan your time at the conference.