Closing the digital divide where it's most dense – inside multi-family housing – took center screen during yesterday's webinar hosted by the Institute for Local Self-Reliance Community Broadband Networks Initiative and the American Association for Public Broadband (AAPB).
Co-host and AAPB Executive Director Gigi Sohn framed the discussion as a new way of thinking about universal broadband access.
"If you want to connect a community, we can’t just think street by street. We have to also think floor by floor, building by building," Sohn said.
"Apartment complexes, public housing, condos, and mobile home parks contain some of the largest concentrations of unserved and underserved households in the country. These buildings should be cost-efficient to serve, but in reality they often present some of the toughest barriers – from wiring challenges and access restrictions to exclusive provider agreements and outdated policies."
The webinar, "High-Density, High Impact: Connecting Apartment Buildings, Public Housing and Multi-Dwelling Units," featured Cleveland-based DigitalC CEO Joshua Edmonds; REVinternet founder and CEO Brendan Kelly; and Anna Read, a Principal with the national consulting firm HR&A.
The conversation ranged from why MDU's matter to the business and technical realities of providing Internet access to those who live in them; as well how federal and state policies have helped or hindered the push to ensure everyone has the ability to meaningfully participate in a digital world.
Watch the webinar in its entirety below:
