Setting a High Standard for Broadband Stimulus Funding
The Benton Foundation hosts a panel discussion on the characteristics of the "best of the breed" broadband stimulus applications.
Thursday, May 7th
12pm-3pm
National Press Club, The First Amendment Lounge
529 14th Street NW
Washington, DC 20045
Come one, come all... join us on May 7th from 12-3pm at the National Press Club for an event hosted by the Benton Foundation entitled, "Setting a High Standard for Broadband Stimulus Funding: Urban and Rural Examples of the 'Best of Breed.'" This event was inspired by a desire to elevate the dialog around the kinds of applications for stimulus dollars that we should be supporting. Rather than just wait around for the rules to come out, why not start looking at some of the best potential applications out there and discussing their relative merits. In this way we can both help raise awareness about these best-in-class applications while simultaneously educating others on how to enhance their own applications.
* San Francisco and Seattle provide excellent examples of innovative approaches like fiber-to-the-home piloting in low-income neighborhoods; public ownership; dark fiber construction for private sector leasing; and robust, energetic digital inclusion efforts.
* Members of the Rural Fiber Alliance will examine approaches that make sense to reach Rural America
* Measuring Success: We'll make the case for community-level metrics as a necessary component of the broadband stimulus projects
Panel 1: Best Practices/Case Studies from Urban and Rural America
* Joanne Hovis, moderator
* Bill Schrier, Chief Technology Officer, City of Seattle
* Chris Vein, Chief Information Officer, City of San Francisco
* Tim Nulty, ECFiber
* Gary Evans, Hiawatha Broadband
* Donny Smith, Jaguar Communications
Panel 2: Respondants
* Charles Benton, moderator
* Dr. Kate Williams, University of Illinois
* NATOA Representative
* Geoff Daily, App-Rising.com and Rural Fiber Alliance
This is a free event. Please RSVP by Tuesday, May 5th to Cecilia Garcia via email: cgarcia@benton.org
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