Once again, the Community Broadband Networks team at the Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR) will team up with the American Association for Public Broadband (AAPB) to host another thought-provoking webinar – “Building Smarter Cities and the Cost of Doing Nothing.”
Moderated by AAPB Executive Director Gigi Sohn and ILSR’s Sean Gonsalves, the livestreamed discussion will bring together community-driven broadband champions who are redefining what it means to be a “smart city” — and what communities risk when they fail to invest in modern connectivity.
Slated for November 20th starting at 12 noon ET, interested attendees for the free 60 minute webinar are invited to register now here.
From Huntsville’s groundbreaking public–private partnership with Google Fiber to Loveland’s city-owned-and-operated Pulse Fiber, network operators in those communities will share real-world lessons on how they were able to turn infrastructure into opportunity.
The livestreamed webinar will also include expert insights from Dr. Bento Lobo (University of Tennessee at Chattanooga) who will unpack the economic data behind smart city investments, while Paul Dickinson (Fiber Optic Sensing Association) will offer a glimpse into the next generation of intelligent infrastructure.
As the panel dives into the why and how communities are transforming the local digital landscape, the forum will explore the technologies, policies, and partnerships powering the cities of tomorrow — and why doing nothing is the most expensive choice of all.
“Too often the importance of communities having ubiquitous, affordable, high-performing Internet connectivity gets treated as a nice-to-have afterthought instead of as the essential infrastructure it is,” said AAPB Executive Director Gigi Sohn.
“Having long been stuck with inadequate Internet service from high-priced monopoly providers, more and more cities are beginning to realize that they can take their digital futures into their own hands and position themselves to be future-proof engines of economic development,” she added. “This webinar will help illuminate the innovative ways local communities are delivering world-class connectivity and the generational benefits that come with it.”
Organizers say the free webinar is designed to give local elected officials, city planners, civic leaders, small business owners, and citizens frustrated with inadequate Internet service keen insight on how locally-controlled Internet infrastructure is the key to unlocking the enormous economic opportunities of our digital age.
Register for the free event here.
Header image courtesy of QuoteInspector.com, Creative Commons, Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
