The Minnesota Office of Broadband Development, Association of Minnesota Counties, League of Minnesota Cities, and the Minnesota Association of Townships, and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration invite you to the Internet for All: Connecting One Minnesota Workshop in Prior Lake, MN!

Media Ownership Diversity Symposium

As we work to close the digital divide, thousands of Americans live in non-traditional homes. 17.7 million people (5.6% of the population) live in manufactured homes across the country. Further, 1 million Americans live in recreational vehicles full-time and over 9 million families travel in RVs. That’s nearly 30 million people and families that need access to Gigabit broadband but may be challenged to get fiber. This session with Joe Costello, CEO of Kwikbit Internet, will explore strategies to close the digital divide in these non-traditional environments.

The purpose of these quarterly calls is to update organizations and entities working in the broadband ecosystem with new and updated information about the program.  Our call will feature the following agenda: 

• Welcome and announcements 
• Program Updates from:
  • FCC Outreach Grants Program
  • ACP Housing Pilot Program (“Your Home, Your Internet”) 
  • ACP Mapping Team
• USAC Update 

For additional information, send an email to outreach@fcc.gov.

In a recent Wall Street Journal op-ed, President Biden outlined an ambitious legislative agenda for Congress to tackle alleged shortcomings of “Big Tech.” Key among these are creating a federal privacy law, reforming Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, and increasing competition in the tech sector.

The NTIA Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program is designed to provide nearly $42.5 billion dollars to expand high-speed internet access by funding planning, infrastructure deployment, and adoption programs throughout the US.

Join Telecompetitor, Jorge Fuenzalida from JLA Advisors, along with Brooke Coleman from Widelity and Rob Falkner from t3 Broadband for a webinar discussion about BEAD funding—and what you need to do to take advantage of this enormous broadband funding opportunity.

Key areas we’ll explore and discuss include:

Counties are preparing for an unprecedented investment of federal funds in high-speed internet deployment and digital equity efforts from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The High-Speed Internet For All Summit will bring together critical federal partners, state broadband office directors, and other key stakeholders. The summit will also elevate the central role of counties in digital equity initiatives to ensure historically marginalized and underrepresented communities receive equal access to the next generation of high-speed internet services.

The Florida Association of Counties is bringing together federal, state and local governments and private organizations to create a smooth download for federal broadband support.

FAC is hosting a Broadband Summit Jan. 26 and 27 as a way to spread the word and connect the agencies and private organizations providing the up to $2 billion in infrastructure funding with the local governments who need it.

NARC’s Economic and Community Development Committee will bring together the nations’ broadband experts to discuss the Federal Communications Commission National Broadband Map and its implications on funding opportunities through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL).  

Co-chair: The Honorable Jennifer Robinson, Council Member, Town of Cary, North Carolina; Triangle J Council of Governments; NARC Senior Vice President   

Co-chair: Betty Voights, Executive Director, Capital Area Council of Governments