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Fast, affordable Internet access for all.
Countdown To Next Building For Digital Equity Event: ‘Pathways To Affordability’
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As FCC Chair Jessica Ronsenworcel this week lamented the end of the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), the next Building For Digital Equity event is ready to address the now-what question.
Slated for June 10 from 3 to 4:15 PM ET, the upcoming #B4DE will focus on “Pathways To Affordable Connectivity” and will serve up plenty of food-for-thought and actionable intel for those working in the trenches to bridge the digital divide.
While the event is free and will be livestreamed, attendees should register here in advance for full access.
Co-hosted by Pamela Rosales with the National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA) and Christopher Mitchell – Director of the Community Broadband Networks Initiative at the Institute for Local Self Reliance (ILSR) – the agenda for the popular virtual gathering is now locked and loaded.
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It will begin with lightning round presentations that will each highlight the crucial importance of getting devices into the hands of those who have a hard time affording them, as well as those who don’t feel they have the digital skills necessary to use them.
The three lightning round presenters will be Dave Sevick, Executive Director of the Pennsylvania-based Computer Reach; Ashley Martinez, Digital Equity Manager with Free Geek in Portland, OR; and Scot Henley, Executive Director of Digitunity based in North Conway, NH.
As the spotlight expands to the larger policy challenge of how an ACP 2.0 might be sustained without relying on short-term Congressional appropriations, Greg Guice – Chief Policy Officer with the Vernonburg Group – will take center screen to discuss Universal Services Fund (USF) reform and ways it could be leveraged to pay for an ACP-like program permanently.
The event, which is once again sponsored by UTOPIA Fiber, will culminate with a keynote presentation by Ray Lopez-Chang, Director of Advocacy and Planning with GPSN – a nonprofit focused on improving public education in Los Angeles and a coalition partner of Digital Equity LA (DELA).
Lopez-Chang will share insights on what community leaders in Los Angeles are doing to address affordability and how local infrastructure initiatives are being advanced to tackle the problem at its thorny root.
The livestream will be available (and later archived) on Facebook, YouTube, X (formerly Twitter), and LinkedIn with live viewer questions answered by the invited speakers and presenters.
We recommend viewing it on YouTube where the live chat will be most engaging. Other questions can be submitted using the #B4DE hashtag on X.
Building For Digital Equity Podcast
In addition to the livestream event – for those who really want to stay plugged into the digital inclusion scene – the Building For Digital Equity podcast series continues to roll through its second season.
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This week’s episode features a conversation with Paul Goodman from the Center for Accessible Technology (C4AT).
A seasoned digital inclusion advocate with over a decade of experience in the field, Paul shares his journey from how he went to law school and ended up championing better broadband access, affordability, and accessibility for people with disabilities.
The conversation delves into the work C4AT is focused on – highlighting the organization’s policy advocacy work, assistive technology solutions, and other efforts to ensure better (and user-friendly) Internet access, especially for those in the disability community.
With new episodes posted every other Thursday, you can listen to any of the previous podcasts here, which include interviews with Abraham Camez, a passionate digital navigator for the Hoopa Valley Public Utility District (HVPUD); Shaun Glaze and Chris Webb with the Black Brilliance Research Project; and Pierrette Dagg, Director of Research for the MERIT Network.
Tune into the most recent podcast with Paul Goodman below:
Header image of What’s Next on chalkboard courtesy of Creazilla, CC0 1.0 DEED CC0 1.0 Universal
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