Registration Available for Rural Broadband Track at Broadband Communities Summit from April 27-30, 2020

Broadband Communities and the Rural Telecommunications Congress have released the agenda for the rural broadband track at the forthcoming Broadband Communities Summit in April 2020.

For the tenth year in a row, the non-profit RTC has co-hosted the rural track at the summit, the premier national gathering for the broadband fiber and infrastructure community. The Broadband Communities Summit takes place this year in Houston, Texas, from April 27 to April 30, 2020.

Use this link to register for the summit, and use VIP Code: RTC410. This registration code entitles the user to more than 56 percent off the regular purchase price.

“The Broadband Communities Summit is the leading event for community leaders, multifamily property owners and network builders and deployers interested in the building, managing, marketing and monetizing of high-speed broadband technologies and services,” said Barbara De Garmo, CEO of Broadband Communities. “It is focused on the successful delivery of high-speed broadband networks to communities – from multifamily properties and planned developments to the city or town where you live.”

“The Rural Telecommunications Congress is pleased to build on a decade-long partnership with Broadband Communities,” said Drew Clark, President of the RTC, and the Editor and Publisher of Broadband Breakfast. “Our focus on broadband planning, broadband infrastructure, and broadband usage for rural communities dovetails extremely well with this outstanding summit.”

The kickoff event for the rural broadband track at this year’s summit will be “The Rural Digital Opportunity Fund – What Does it Mean for You?” moderated by Carol Mattey of Mattey Consulting. It takes place on Tuesday, April 28, at 2:10 p.m. CT.

The FCC, with its newly implemented Rural Digital Opportunity Fund is distributing lots of money for financing rural broadband. Our panel of experts will guide you through what the fund is and what it means for your company, co-op, or community.

Next up is “Wireless Service in Rural American, Licensed and Unlicensed.”

Wireless Internet Service Providers are among the companies most at the forefront of helping Rural American meet its broadband needs. Most of them currently make use of unlicensed radio frequencies. This panel will consider a number of licensed or quasi-licensed frequencies that will be soon be available for auction by the FCC in the Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) band, as well as other wireless uses for delivering broadband.

On Wednesday, April 29, the rural broadband track will feature three panels: “Connecting the Middle Mile and the Last Mile in Rural America,” “Rural Success Stories,” and “Better Broadband Mapping for Rural America.”

The middle mile session addresses numerous examples of middle-mile networks and the success they have had in connecting to last-mile networks in rural America.

The rural success story panel will address the difference that broadband makes when deployed in rural America, exploring numerous “success stories,” and examining what they have been able to do with their improved broadband.

Broadband mapping continues to be very much in the news. Much of the recent legislative focus on the topic has been driven by concerns from constituents in rural areas who are considered “covered,” when they are in fact living in a broadband desert. This session will consider recent controversies in broadband mapping, discuss the FCC’s Digital Opportunity Data Collection Report, and examine what particular communities are doing to map out broadband.

The rural broadband track concludes on Thursday, April 30. The two sessions that day will be on “Apps for Rural America: Putting Better Broadband to Better Uses,” and on “Opportunity Zones and Foundations.”

Broadband matters not because of the “feeds and speeds,” but because of the uses to which it is put. These include telehealth, education, senior connected living and telecommuting. What do these apps mean for rural America? Do they work? Are there legislative, policy or business insurance hurdles to overcome as they are used more and more in rural areas? These are just a few of the questions, come hear the answers.

The concluding session on Opportunity Zones will address the productive collaborations currently underway between foundations, rural communities, and investors seeking to take advantage of the savings available in the tax reform bill’s Opportunity Zones. The panel will specifically explore broadband’s role in Opportunity Zones.

Don’t forget to use  VIP Code: RTC410 when you register for the summit.

For more about the summit, visit the home page, and learn more about the Summit Chairmen.