BEAD Deployment: Preparing to Connect the Heartland Once and For All

This conversation will:

• Provide an overview of how heartland states plan to deploy federal funding to deliver high-speed internet to all communities.
• Offer practical steps local governments, ISPs and community leaders can take, such as streamlining permitting and infrastructure approvals, to accelerate deployment when funding arrives.
• Highlight resources like the Connecting the Heartland Jobs Board, connecting workers to high-speed internet jobs and training opportunities to support rapid deployment.

Featured Speakers

•        Mary Larkin Furlow – Senior Manager of Connecting the Heartland, Heartland Forward
•        Devon Braunstein – Director, Illinois Office of Broadband
•        Kathryn de Wit – Project Director, Broadband Access, The Pew Charitable Trusts
•        Glen Howie – State Broadband Director, The Arkansas State Broadband Office
•        Veneeth Iyengar – Executive Director, ConnectLA
•        Mike Sanders – Executive Director, Oklahoma Broadband Office
•        Peter Voderberg – Chief, BroadbandOhio