The Broadband Properties Summit introduced a new partner this year, the Rural Telecommunications Congress (RTC), to host a one-day forum alongside the main conference focusing on rural community opportunities and challenges. The RTC track presented over 24 speakers with rural expertise, including Director of Deployment for the Omnibus Broadband Initiative at the FCC, Rob Curtis. Speakers addressed important topics like the benefits of broadband access in rural communities, how to successfully bring broadband into rural communities, and once it’s there, how to maximize the use of it, both individually and institutionally.
One theme that ran throughout the discussions was that of economic opportunity. Brent Legg of Connected Nation pointed out that broadband doesn’t get a lot of attention in communities where technology is a topic of discussion. He suggests making it a tangible issue by asking “What do you want to accomplish in the next 25 years?” Generally, he finds, the answer revolves around economic development.
Greg Laudeman, President of the RTC and longtime manager of programs to facilitate the adoption of broadband technologies, shared his advice on bringing broadband to rural communities, noting that many rural community leaders “think broadband is for someone else, by someone else. “ He suggests looking at organizations that really embrace it, to demonstrate the fundamental differences of those really maximizing technology. And then how do you get local leaders on board? Laudeman suggests 1) Demonstrate success of other like communities and 2) Do training on the technology and what it will do.
NextGenWeb caught up with several speakers from the RTC track. Watch the interviews below to see how Jane Patterson, RTC Director and Executive Director of the e-NC Authority, Greg Laudeman, President of the RTC, Brent Legg, VP of State and Local Initiatives for Connected Nation, and Harry Roesch, RTC Board Member, are all facilitating broadband access and use in rural areas!
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April 28th, 2010 at 2:34 pm
[...] With rural communities taking a prominent role in the Broadband Properties Summit, it was only fitting that conference attendees enjoyed a keynote address from the Honorable Jonathan Adelstein, Administrator of the Rural Utilities Service at USDA. Adelstein addressed the 21st century challenges of bringing broadband to rural communities and the work his agency is doing to help, citing broadband as “a pillar for the future of rural America and economic growth. “ [...]