Taking Action on Broadband Access

Day by day, access to broadband, and the advanced applications it facilitates, becomes more integral to the daily lives of Americans and to the vitality of communities across America. While the benefits of increased broadband access and adoption are widespread, barriers like income and geography keep many Americans from taking advantage of the economic, educational and social benefits of broadband access.

Although broadband connects us to the “world wide web,” it is also intensely local.  Local “last mile” connections can “speed up” civic engagement, advance business, enrich education, improve healthcare, and help make communities more resilient and efficient.  Poor connectivity or inadequate digital skills can strand rural communities that need to get and share information to fully participate in the digital economy.

To address the need for local action and information, NTIA’s BroadbandUSA worked hand-in-hand with hundreds of state and local broadband leaders, industry and non-profits to develop the Community Connectivity Initiative (CCI) – a planning tool designed to bring more resources to local efforts.  BroadbandUSA strives to advance broadband infrastructure deployment, improve digital inclusion and strengthen broadband policies. 

Karen Perry will provide an overview of the data for Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming, describe the framework and online tool, and suggest ways that your communities can participate this year.

Meeting Details:

• Date: Thursday, February 23, 2017
• Time: 10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. MST (09:30 – 11:00 a.m. PST)
• Dial-In: Dial-in/Log-in information will be provided upon registration.**
• Eligibility: This program is appropriate for Philanthropy Northwest members, including state nonprofit associations. Non-member philanthropic institutions are also invited. This event is not open to the public.
• Questions: Please help us co-create the agenda for our calls in 2017. You can contact Paul Kim with any questions, suggestions or to discuss potential topics.

Agenda for February 2017 Call:

10:30 – 10:50 a.m. Introduction

• MT-ID-WY Funders Call overview
• Introductions – Who is on the call?

10:50 – 11:10 a.m. Peer Updates

• Are there any new or promising initiatives you’re exploring?
• What is exciting in your work right now?
• Looking ahead – What are you excited about in 2017
• Are you struggling with any strategic or operational questions that you’d like peer feedback on?

11:10 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Discussion on Taking Action On Broadband Access – Karen Perry, Senior Policy Analyst, National Telecommunications and Information Administration

Karen Archer Perry is a Senior Policy Analyst with the BroadbandUSA program at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration where she is responsible for working with community stakeholders to develop new tools and programs to advance broadband deployment, adoption, and policies. Karen has extensive nonprofit experience including working as a Senior Program Officer at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation where her portfolio focused on expanding broadband to public libraries and strengthening library advocacy. Prior to joining NTIA, Karen worked with nonprofits, industry, and government agencies in her role as principal consultant at Clarion Collaborative. Karen served as an advisor and author for the Broadband Opportunity Council Report, which was delivered to the President in August 2015, capturing commitments from 25 cabinet-level Federal Agencies to support increased broadband deployment, competition and adoption. As a Special Advisor to Federal Communications Commission, Karen contributed to Connecting America: National Broadband Plan. Karen holds a masters in electrical engineering from Cornell University and a BSEE from the University of Washington.  She lives in Seattle Washington.

About BroadbandUSA

National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s (NTIA) BroadbandUSA program provides assistance to state and local governments, industry and non-profits that want to expand broadband infrastructure and promote digital inclusion. BroadbandUSA offers technical assistance services that are driven by the needs and interests of state and local broadband leaders, focusing on supporting planning, funding, and implementing local broadband programs.

BroadbandUSA also provides solution-neutral guides and tools that provide communities with self-help options, as well as regional workshops that bring local stakeholders together. These efforts arm state and local leaders with information to make key decisions, guidance on how to use broadband to meet their community’s needs, and connections to federal, state and industry stakeholders to advance their overarching goals such as economic development, education, healthcare and public safety.

About NTIA

NTIA, an agency within the U.S. Department of Commerce, is the Executive Branch agency principally responsible for advising the President on telecommunications and information policy issues. NTIA’s programs and policymaking focus largely on expanding broadband access and adoption in America, expanding the use of spectrum by all users and ensuring that the Internet remains an engine for continued innovation and economic growth.

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