Next Century Cities Monthly Newsletter
December 2019
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NCC News
Next Century Cities and the Colorado Broadband Office hosted a Lunch and Learn session on November 26. We discussed our
Becoming Broadband Ready
toolkit and other resources for local leaders working on broadband initiatives. Watch the webinar
here
.
Senior Program Manager Cat Blake wrote a series of blog posts documenting her time in Hawaii for the Indigenous Connectivity Summit.
Part one
details some of the resources and stories shared at the conference, and
part two
focuses on the two-day technical training that followed.
Executive Director Francella Ochillo
led a workshop
at the New York Library Association’s annual conference on how librarians can help expand broadband access for easily forgotten communities. Francella also
participated in a digital inclusion webinar
hosted by the Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC.
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Next Century Cities
submitted comments
to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) urging the Commission to increase minimum broadband standards and consider affordability of service when determining broadband availability. We also submitted comments in conjunction with Common Cause and Public Knowledge, which you can find
here
.
Next Century Cities members
met with FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks
over the phone on November 25th. Our members had the opportunity to ask questions and share stories about how federal policies impact communities. It’s invaluable for policymakers to hear from local leaders that are on the front lines of developing connectivity solutions. Read the ex parte
here
.
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NCC Connection Opportunities
Next Century Cities’ second annual
Opportunities for Bipartisan Tech Policy
event will take place
January 23rd, 2020
, in Washington, DC. Registration is available
here
and agenda details will be shared next week. Click
here
if you’re interested in sponsorship details.
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NCC Member News
Chattanooga, Tenn.
is using smart city data to understand how pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists, and transit interact in order to improve safety. (
CIO Review
,
The Enterprise Center
)
Los Angeles, Calif.
Mayor Eric Garcetti recently announced the creation of
Urban Movement Labs
, a partnership between the city and several public and private entities. (
Smart Cities Dive
)
Seattle, Wash.
is working to streamline its permitting process for pole attachments in an effort to accelerate 5G deployment, but digital equity concerns remain.
San Jose, Calif.
is one example of how permitting fees can be structured to incentivize equitable deployment. (
Geekwire
)
Eugene, Ore.’s
fiber network,
EUGNet
, has been a proven boost for downtown businesses. The city council is now investigating how to expand broadband access to residents and businesses throughout the city. (
Register-Guard
)
Wilson, N.C.’s
Greenlight Community Network opened the door to many innovations and benefits for local residents and businesses. Now, the city is helping to prepare residents for new job opportunities by partnering with a local community college to offer a fiber training course. (
Institute for Local Self-Reliance
)
Lakeland, Fla.
City Commissioner Justin Toller is encouraging residents to support a public vote on the creation of a broadband utility in the city. (
Institute for Local Self-Reliance
)
Longmont, Colo.
is conducting a community survey about internet service options. (
City of Longmont
)
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Request for Proposals (RFPs)
Sign up at our
website
to receive an alert whenever a new RFP from one of our member communities is announced. You can also visit
this page
to read current and past RFPs from other communities.
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Want to know more about our work? Follow Next Century Cities on
Twitter
, like us on
Facebook
, and watch our videos on
YouTube
. And be sure to visit
NextCenturyCities.org
for news, blog posts, RFP alerts, toolkits, and information on new members!
Joining Next Century Cities is
simple and free
!
If you know a community that would benefit from membership, please contact
Lukas Pietrzak
for more information.
Have a great broadband-themed joke?
Send one to us
and you might win some Next Century Cities swag!
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Know someone who might be interested in this newsletter? They can view past editions and subscribe
here
!
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Next Century Cities, 1342 Florida Ave NW, Washington, DC 20009
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