Next Century Cities Monthly Newsletter
June 2019
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Last week, we brought together coworkers, friends, and allies to help send off Deb Socia, our executive director. Deb has led Next Century Cities for the past five years with unrelenting passion and creativity. She begins her new role with
Chattanooga, Tenn.’s
Enterprise Center in July, and we are excited to see what she accomplishes there! Read more about the goodbye party and upcoming transition in our blog
here
.
Cat Blake, senior program manager for Next Century Cities, recently authored a piece on how equitable access to broadband will influence the future of work in the United States. She points to digital inclusion efforts in
Raleigh, N.C.; Westminster, Md.; Austin, Texas; Wilson, N.C.; and Gaylord, Minn.
as good examples of how we can prepare students and workers for a changing workforce. Read more in
Broadband Communities Magazine
here
.
In May, the Next Century Cities team attended an event in Idaho, hosted by the West Central Mountains Economic Development Council, which addressed the future of broadband in the region. We participated in panel discussions about the basics of broadband and successful local connectivity models, as well as a Q&A session about next steps. Read more in our blog
here
.
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We’ll be participating in these upcoming events! Please reach out to us if you would like to connect at any of them.
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San Francisco, Calif.
won a case in the California Supreme Court last month determining that cities have the right to reject small cell deployments on the basis of aesthetic concerns.
Montgomery County, Md.
has similarly been working to determine local control over deployments. Read more in
Citylab
here
.
Ammon, Idaho
is working to increase residents’ knowledge of fiber and explain its benefits to the community. Read more from KIFI
here
.
San Jose, Calif.
finalized a partnership with AT&T that includes the deployment of LED streetlights and 100 Wi-Fi extenders that will improve public wireless connectivity, as well as a $200,000 contribution from AT&T to community organizations working to close the digital divide. Read more in
Smart Cities Dive
here
.
Syracuse, N.Y.
has reached a deal with Verizon to allow the company to build out 5G in the city, with installation set to begin this summer. Read more in
GovTech
here
.
San Jose, Calif.
is an example of creating a layered investment approach when working to improve local connectivity. Read more from US Ignite
here
.
Longmont, Colo.’s
municipal network Nextlight was rated among the most affordable internet service in the nation by BroadbandNow. Read more in the
Longmont Observer
here
.
Breckenridge, Colo.
will enter into an agreement with ALLO Communications to be the exclusive operator and service provider on the town’s new fiber network. Read more in the
Summit Daily
here
.
Orem, Utah
will be fully connected to the Utah Telecommunication Open Infrastructure Agency’s (UTOPIA) fiber network by the end of 2022. Read more in the
Daily Herald
here
.
Louisville, Ky.
is launching a new initiative that aims to create more local tech jobs by connecting students of all ages to digital skills training and encouraging them to pursue tech related degrees and certifications. Read more in the
Courier Journal
here
.
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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
Cat Blake
for more information.
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Next Century Cities, 1342 Florida Ave NW, Washington, DC 20009
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