Broadband Communities Highlights Impact of Internet on Economic Development with Kentucky Conference

Editor’s Note: This week marks the fourth annual Economic Development Conference hosted by Broadband Communities Magazine. The roving conferences have moved from Southern Virginia to Chicagoland; from Western Massachusetts to — this week — Lexington, Kentucky. BroadbandBreakfast.com will be there, reporting on and analyzing the most significant developments to emerge from the event. The event will also be Broadband Communities’ first event since the passing of CEO Scott DeGarmo last month.

Below is the Chairman’s Statement about the event. The agenda is available here; registration is available here.

Across America, hundreds of communities are seeking to acquire or develop advanced communications networks. Such networks, they believe, can drive and support simultaneous progress in multiple fields that are of critical importance to them, including economic development and global competitiveness, education, health care, public safety, transportation, energy, environmental protection, democratic engagement, and much more. In virtually every case, fostering robust economic development has ranked at or near the top of the list of considerations motivating these communities.

Our regional conferences are in response to strong and widespread interest
Responding to the strong and widespread interest in the relationship between advanced communications networks, economic development, and job creation, Broadband Communities has hosted a series of regional conferences that examine these matters from all angles, drawing on the insights of experts across multiple disciplines and on the first-hand experiences of the communities within the region in question.

The Lexington event encompasses the 12-state East-Central Region
Following up on our highly successful conferences in Danville, Virginia, Chicago, Illinois, and Springfield, Massachusetts, we will hold our next conference in Lexington Kentucky, from September 15-17, 2015. The conference will focus on the 12-state East-Central Region, including Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia. This region is extraordinarily rich in experience, talent, and representative projects.

You’ll get useful info and insights you can put to use at once
Our entire economic development program – every session, every speaker – will concentrate on the relationship between broadband, economic development, and job creation. We will provide you useful, practical information that you can take home and put to use at once – including economic research, case histories, how-to materials, examples of what’s working and what’s not, lessons-learned, and invaluable insights.

From Google Fiber to public-private partnerships, we’ll address the timeliest and most important topics
Our workshops and sessions will address the latest, hottest topics – including Google Fiber and other public and private fiber deployments, telemedicine, distance learning, getting seniors online, and much more. You’ll learn about many of the state, regional, and local projects in the region. You’ll also hear about ways that communities are improving their chances of getting a gigabit network, including working with private-sector network providers, entering into public-private partnerships, and collaborating with vendors.

You’ll also hear about a variety of successful efforts to fund broadband – including investments in education, healthcare institutions and community anchors in underserved areas.

-Economic Development Chairman Jim Baller