Christopher's Plans for Broadband Communities Summit All Set...What About Yours?

Are you still considering whether or not to attend this spring’s Broadband Communities 2019 Summit in Austin on April 8th, 9th, and 10th? We thought we’d share more information about Christopher’s panels so you can see what you will be missing if you decide to stay home.

Register online for the Summit.

Lessons Learned and Shared

Learning about what communities did that worked and what didn’t work is one of the most valuable aspects of the Summit. On April 10th, at 10 a.m., Christopher heads up a discussion with folks from four different communities across the U.S. to discuss what they learned in deploying their publicly owned fiber networks. Each of these communities faced adversity and found a way to change course to turn difficulty into positive outcome:

One of the challenges of evaluating capital-intensive local broadband projects is that they typically lose money in their early years. Come learn from four communities that have overcome significant challenges – and learned invaluable lessons along the way. 

Participating on the panel will be:

More From Christopher

Don’t forget about the special program offered the afternoon of the first day of the conference by the Coalition for Local Internet Choice (CLIC). There will be several conversations that focus on local authority. Christopher will participate on a panel hosted by Joanne Hovis from CTC Technology and Energy and CEO of CLIC. The topic, “The States and BDAC: What it Means for Local Internet Choice,” will address the tension between state and local authority, including recent advancements for local communities. They’ll also discuss the FCC’s Broadband Deployment Advisory Committee (BDAC) and its state “model” code, which interferes with local control, along with potential consequences in the realm of public-private partnerships.

In the spirit of healthy debate, organizers are once again including a panel that includes experts from different approaches to discuss the future of broadband and related issues. Christopher will participate in the panel of people who don’t always agree to discuss a range of issues such as economic development, education, reality vs hype, where should our investments go, and how to ensure equitable access to broadband. The panel takes place on Tuesday, April 9th.

Check out the special promotional lit below (larger version here) that describes some of Christopher’s plans for the Summit.

More Than Christopher

As a reminder, Susan Crawford will deliver the Keynote Address on April 11th to discuss the findings from her recent book, Fiber: The Coming Tech Revolution — And Why America Might Miss It. Take a few minute to listen to Christopher and Susan discuss the book in episode 343 of our Community Broadband Bits podcast.

Susan is one of a long and distinguished line-up of presenters who will fill the Summit Agenda. 

For a short time, you can also get a discount by using the VIP Code: Summit560. If you use the code, you’ll save $390 off the regular price to attend the full Summit. The discount expires on March 22.

Check out the Broadband Communities 2019 Summit, “Fiber: Putting Your Gigs to Work” page for more details, including a list of speakers and a schedule of events.

Register now to attend the Summit.

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