The American Association for Public Broadband (AAPB) and ILSR’s Community Broadband Networks Initiative are teaming up to host a webinar later this month for local and community leaders interested – or on the fence – in pursuing municipal broadband solutions to local connectivity challenges.
“Municipal Broadband and Innovative Financing Models: Unlocking Economic Growth” will focus on ways publicly-owned broadband networks can be financed and feature municipal broadband providers and financing experts who have successfully navigated the maze of municipal finance.
The free webinar is slated for February 20, 2025, from noon to 1 pm ET.
Registration is open now here.
Co-hosted by AAPB Executive Director Gigi Sohn and Sean Gonsalves from ILSR's Community Broadband Networks Initiative, organizers are encouraging attendees to bring their questions, as the agenda aims to foster information-sharing and actionable insight.
Panelists for the discussion will be:
- Ernie Staten, City of Fairlawn’s Public Service Department Director
- F.X. Flinn, ECFiber Governing Board Chair
- Laura Lewis, Principal and Co-Owner of LRB Public Finance Advisors
- Eric Rex, Vice President at KeyBanc Capital Markets
“There are more than 400 publicly-owned broadband networks operating right now across the nation,” said AAPB Executive Director Gigi Sohn. “That number has been growing rapidly. But, there's more work to do to address the fear and hesitation that’s stopping some communities from pursuing the public model.”
“This is about creating a space for those who have put community broadband solutions into action to share how they handled financing network construction with those who are considering how to replicate or innovate on that success in their own communities,” added ILSR’s Community Broadband Director Christopher Mitchell.
With the uncertainty of the future of the BEAD program swirling in the air and the often hidden cost of doing nothing to connect the unserved and underserved, it promises to be a timely event.
Organizers say, they are keen to focus on how communities might move forward, putting the spotlight on existing community broadband networks that have threaded the financial needle, often with little or no help from federal grant programs.
Register for the webinar here, and watch it below.
Header image of financing sticky note courtesy of Picpedia, Creative Commons, Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported
