Illinois Broadband Summit
Partnership for a Connected Illinois
Thursday, June 2nd, 2011
9:00 AM to 4:30 PM
http://illinoisbroadbandsummit.eventbrite.com/
Focus on Jobs, Economy
Event to feature local, state and national leaders, including: Illinois School Superintendent Christopher Koch, SIU President Glenn Poshard; Updates to be provided by grant awardees Clearwave Communications and Shawnee Telephone Co.
Summit Kicks off at 9 a.m. with Official Meeting of Governor’s Broadband Deployment Council
At 9 a.m., the BDC convenes to address the topic: Education and Distance Learning Advancements Made Possible Through Broadband.
A presentation will be made by the Illinois Virtual School to highlight educational programs available through distance learning. Representatives of K-12 and higher education will join in a discussion on how broadband can continue to improve educational opportunities. Illinois School Superintendent Christopher Koch, also a BDC member, will be on hand to discuss his perspectives on the difference that broadband and technological advancements can make in the lives of our children and our schools.
Afternoon Session Kicks Off at 1 p.m. – Broadband Stakeholders Map Out a Vision of Our Future; Featured speakers include national broadband experts Graham Richard and Frank Knott
SIU President Glenn Poshard will kick off the afternoon session , which will include presentations by national broadband experts and a roundtable discussion with local officials and national broadband experts.
U.S. Senator Richard Durbin has also been invited to discuss the importance of broadband to the future of Illinois and how it will transform lives.
National Broadband Experts Graham Richard and Frank Knott will share their unique views and updates on how broadband is transforming communities. Richard, former mayor of Ft. Wayne, IN, will focus on how our state and our communities can retain and create jobs through broadband. Knott, who was instrumental in creation of ConnectSI and formulating broadband strategies for southern Illinois, will highlight regional strategies for economic development with broadband.
The afternoon session also serves as the quarterly American Reinvestment and Recovery Act report for Southern Illinois. Representatives of Clearwave Communications and Shawnee Telephone Company will discuss the status of their projects and their perspectives of advances made possible through the investment in broadband.
The is co-sponsored by the Partnership for a Connected Illinois and ConnectSI.
The Partnership for a Connected Illinois is the state-designated not-for-profit entity seeking to ensure that all Illinoisans possess the means and skills to make full use of information technology. For more information, click here.
Connect SI is a collaborative, regional economic strategy for the southern 20 counties of Illinois. The initiative is built upon broadband connectivity, with the concept that our dispersed assets can be connected to make our region a driving force in the world economy.