Topic 3 at Digital Infrastructure Investment 2021: Public Private Partnerships for Broadband
Topic 3 focuses on the way that municipalities’ infrastructure projects has changed the conversation around public private partnerships.
September 21, 2021 – In less than a week, Broadband Breakfast will kick off Digital Infrastructure Investment 2021 at the Broadband Communities Summit on Monday, September 27, 2021.
This pathbreaking event brings the broadband infrastructure and financial services communities together to focus on the digital infrastructure and investment asset profile, including fiber, small cells, towers and data center assets required to support a 21st Century information economy.
This third session at Digital Infrastructure Investment 2021 – Topic 3 — is centered on Public-Private Partnership in the broadband industry. In the past several years, municipalities are increasingly becoming a leading voice in new digital infrastructure projects. How has their role changed the conversations around public-private partnerships?
The conference will kick off at 1 p.m. ET / 12 Noon CT, and this third panel is scheduled to begin at 4:15 p.m. ET / 3:15 p.m. CT. Unlike other aspects of the Broadband Communities Summit, Digital Infrastructure Investment 2021 will be available both IN PERSON and LIVE ONLINE.
The session will moderated by the Director of Community Broadband Networks Initiative Chris Mitchell. This session and the others will will set the stage for a broader discussion that includes investment fund manager, institutional investors, venture capitalists and senior broadband leaders speaking in Topics 3 and 4 later in the day. Infrastructure investment funds, public-private partnerships, and the future of shared infrastructure will be considered in other panels at the event.
Topic 3 includes, as panelists, Matt Schmit, Director, Illinois Office of Broadband; Chris Walker, Senior Executive Director of Infrastructure Strategy, Northwest Open Access Network; Nate Walowitz, Regional Broadband Program Director, Northwest Colorado Council of Governments; Sunne Wright McPeak, President and CEO, California Emerging Technology Fund
Panelists for Topic 3:
- Matt Schmit, Director, Illinois Office of Broadband
- Chris Walker, Senior Executive Director of Infrastructure Strategy, Northwest Open Access Network
- Nate Walowitz, Regional Broadband Program Director, Northwest Colorado Council of Governments
- Sunne Wright McPeak, President and CEO, California Emerging Technology Fund
- Chris Mitchell (moderator), Director, Community Broadband Networks Initiative
Matt Schmit serves as the Director of the Illinois Office of Broadband. In this capacity, he is responsible for facilitating the deployment of the Connect Illinois broadband infrastructure grant program. He also served as a state senator for Minnesota between 2013 and 2016.
Chris Walker is the Senior Executive Director of Infrastructure Strategy for Northwest Open Access Network. His work at Northwest Open Access Network includes the management of network growth and expansion, strategic planning, capital development of the outside plant program, and community consulting and engagement for emerging public benefit networks. Chris has led many of NoaNet’s critical functions in his 20 years including Network Operations and Engineering, Outside Plant Construction, the statewide Network Operations Center, Professional Services, and Community Outreach Initiatives. Before NoaNet, Chris served 12 years in the armed forces.
Nate Walowitz supports communities developing broadband access across NW Colorado with the NWCCOG and across the State of Colorado in support of the Colorado Department of Local Affairs. He also developed Project THOR, a publicly owned open access middle mile network serving communities across 12 counties in NW Colorado.
Sunne Wright McPeak is President and CEO of the California Emerging Technology Fund, a statewide non-profit organization that accelerates the deployment and adoption of broadband. She assumed the position as the CETF first chief executive in December 2006 after serving for three years as Secretary of the California Business, Transportation and Housing Agency.
Chris Mitchell (moderator) is Director of the Institute for Local Self Reliance’s Community Broadband Network Initiative. His work focuses on helping communities ensure that the telecommunications networks upon which they depend are accountable to the community. He was honored as one of the 2012 Top 25 in Public Sector Technology by Government Technology, which honors the top “Doers, Drivers, and Dreamers” in the nation each year. Originally published on MuniNetworks.org, this piece is part of a collaborative reporting effort between Broadband Breakfast and the Community Broadband Networks program at ILSR.
Digital Infrastructure Investment 2021 will take place at the Broadband Communities Summit, and online, on Monday, September 27, 2021.
Join the Broadband Breakfast Club and Register for the LIVE ONLINE version of Digital Infrastructure Investment 2021 for the Member’s Rate of $149. First month of Broadband Breakfast Club Membership included.
REGISTER NOWThe Broadband Communities Summit is the leading conference on broadband technologies for communities. It will take place in Houston, Texas, from September 27 – September 30, 2021.
The Summit attracts broadband system operators, network builders and deployers of all kinds. Many of the country’s major property owners and real estate developers attend the Summit each year, along with independent telcos and cable companies, municipal and state officials, community leaders and economic development professionals.
For more information on the Summit, visit Broadband Communities, as well as 2021 Travel & Hotel Information.
Broadband Breakfast Club Members receive discount pricing on both the Broadband Communities Summit and Digital Infrastructure Investment 2021.
Join the Broadband Breakfast Club and Register for BOTH the Broadband Communities Summit and the IN-PERSON Digital Infrastructure Investment 2021 for the Member’s Rate of $349. First month of Broadband Breakfast Club Membership included.
REGISTER NOWDigital Infrastructure Investment 2021 Sponsors:
Platinum Sponsor
Lit partners with municipal, county and other governmental entities, as well as a variety of private partners to deploy last-mile fiber optic network infrastructure. Residents and businesses connected to our networks will receive service from a local internet service provider that delivers a local brand and promise of great service and customer support.
Gold Sponsors
BroadbandNow is a data aggregation company helping millions of consumers find and compare local internet options. BroadbandNow’s database of providers, the largest in the U.S., delivers the highest-value guides consisting of comprehensive plans, prices and ratings for thousands of internet service providers.
Render Networks provides an entirely new approach to fiber deployment. Utilizing innovative geographic information systems (GIS), mobile and automation technology, Render’s platform and data management enable network operators, engineers and builders to deliver quality networks without the need for manual, paper-based construction packs. Render uses real-time geospatial data to provide increased control and visibility, resulting in significant resource productivity across the delivery lifecycle.
Silver Sponsors
SiFi funds, builds and owns FiberCity™ networks for use by Internet Service Providers, 4G/5G carriers and other service providers wishing to deliver ubiquitous high-speed broadband services to business and residential properties as well as connectivity for city-wide Internet of Things applications.
Created by a group of Utah cities, the Utah Telecommunication Open Infrastructure Agency (UTOPIA) is a community-owned fiber optic network that uses the Open Access model to promote competition by giving customers the freedom to choose which telecommunication services they want.
Positron Access specializes in carrier-grade telecommunications products that increase bandwidth delivered and the distance covered within both core access networks and residential buildings using existing wiring infrastructure. These include line powered digital subscriber line amplifiers/extenders that double the customer serving areas and increase the bandwidth, G.hn Gigabit Access Mulitplexors (GAM) that provide managed non-blocking symmetrical gigabit bandwidth to subscribers in multiple-dwelling units/multi-tenant units over copper pairs or coaxial cables; and bonded copper solutions for mobile backhaul, core transport, access and edge aggregation.
The California Emerging Technology Fund (CETF) has been on a mission over the last decade to forge partnerships and foster public policy to close the Digital Divide. This work has been strategically-focused, results-oriented, and people-centered. CETF is a leading proponent of the Digital Equity Bill of Rights
To inquire about Digital Infrastructure Investment 2021, contact drew@breakfast.media.
Digital Infrastructure Investment 2020
Digital Infrastructure Investment 2020 took place online on August 10, 2020, from 1 p.m. ET to 5:30 p.m. ET. It was broadcast at the Broadband Communities Virtual Summit on Tuesday, September 22, 2020.
