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ILSR Joins Digital Inclusion Advocates in Atlanta to Elevate Local Voices
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As Georgia prepares to administer $1.3 billion in federal BEAD grants to build new broadband networks, as well as an additional $22.4 million in federal Digital Equity Act funds, digital inclusion advocates in the Peach State are gathering in Atlanta this week to discuss how these once-in-a-generation investments can be made to ensure “every Georgia resident is fully equipped to participate in our digital revolution.”
Among those who will take part in “The Path to Digital Equity: Elevating Local Voices To Drive Impact on Digital Equity” is our own Jordan Pittman, Digital Equity Coordinator with ILSR’s Community Broadband Networks initiative.
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The event – co-hosted by Public Knowledge, the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, the National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA), the Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR), and the Digital Equity and Opportunity Initiative – will be held on Thursday (August 29) beginning at 2 p.m. at the Fernbank Museum.
Opening remarks will be given by President and CEO of Public Knowledge Chris Lewis, who also serves on ILSR's board of directors.
Jordan will serve as a panelist for the opening session that will focus on “Designing Federal Policies To Build a Digitally Inclusive Future.”
Moderated by Alisa Valentin, Ph.D., Broadband Policy Director at Public Knowledge, he will be joined on the panel by Landon Bailey, Senior Policy Advisor and Strategist for the African American Mayors Association; Dr. Dominique Harrison, Deputy Director of the Office of Minority Broadband Initiatives at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA); and Jonathan Walter, Policy Counsel with the Center for Civil Rights and Technology and the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights.
The second and final panel will address “Advancing Digital Equity in Georgia” and be moderated by NDIA’s Senior Policy Manager, Shuana Edson. She will be joined by three panelists: Ernesto Gonzalez, Director of Entrepreneurship for the Latin American Association; Oneisha Freeman Rojales, Digital Connectivity Manager with the Georgia Technology Authority; and Kenneth Sumpter, a consultant with Empower SW Georgia.
Registration for the in-person event can be found here.
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