Next Century Cities Monthly Newsletter
January 2020
NCC News 
Next Century Cities released a new resource to support municipalities’ outreach efforts around the 2020 census. The 2020 Census Kiosk Toolkit is a guide and resource bank to help communities easily implement kiosk programs to encourage online census responses and ensure that all residents are counted. Read more in our blog here . 

In 2019, Next Century Cities welcomed 17 new members across 12 states. We also celebrated exciting developments in many of our existing member communities, including San Francisco, Calif. , and Wilson, N.C. Learn more in our 2019 Membership Report . 

Next Century Cities, Public Knowledge, and Common Cause submitted joint reply comments in response to the Federal Communications Commission’s Notice of Inquiry on broadband deployment. The comments reiterate that the Commission should increase minimum speeds and add pricing information to the agency’s data collection, and that mobile wireless broadband is not a substitute for a fixed broadband connection. 
On December 10th, NCC’s Executive Director, Francella Ochillo, hosted a fireside chat with FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks at the Annual Institute on Telecommunications Policy & Regulation. 

Next Century Cities partnered with the Open Technology Institute to publish two fact sheets that explain what spectrum is and why unlicensed sharing on the 6 GHz band is important for wireless connectivity. 
Join the Next Century Cities team! Apply by January 24th to become a Policy Fellow with NCC. Find more information here . 
NCC Connection Opportunities
Next Century Cities’ second annual Opportunities for Bipartisan Tech Policy event will take place January 23rd, 2020 , in Washington, DC. Registration and program details are available here . Click here if you’re interested in sponsorship details. 

Next Century Cities and INCOMPAS will host an informal roundtable discussion about the benefits of fiber competition and strategies for encouraging deployment. The event will take place on January 30th in Washington, DC. Register here .
NCC Member News
The Metropolitan Information Exchange (MIX) held its annual conference in Chattanooga, Tenn. This year, broadband issues took center stage with Chattanooga representatives leading a discussion on the challenges and benefits of city-owned broadband infrastructure. Chattanooga was also recently ranked as one of the best cities in the country to start a business, thanks in part to the high quality internet access available throughout the city. ( Government Technology , Inc. )  

The community benefits of Fairlawn, Ohio’s broadband utility, FairlawnGig, are celebrated in a new video released by Corning. ( Institute for Local Self-Reliance )

Islesboro, Maine’s municipal broadband network is celebrating two years of connecting island residents to affordable gigabit service. ( Institute for Local Self-Reliance ) 

Kansas City, Mo. and Kansas City, Kan. have made progress in encouraging home broadband adoption, according to a new report from the Schools, Health, and Libraries Broadband Coalition (SHLB) and the Kansas City Public Library. ( SHLB )

Lakeland, Fla. has entered into agreements with two private providers that may be interested in partnering with the city to offer gigabit speed internet access to residents. ( Government Technology )    

Medina County, Ohio’s municipal fiber backbone network provides essential connectivity for carriers, institutions, and businesses. ( Institute for Local Self-Reliance )

Opelika, Ala.’s Mayor Gary Fuller wrote an op-ed for OA Now detailing the city’s opposition to Alabama’s proposed small cell state law. ( OA Now )

Palm Coast, Fla. is hosting the Tech Beach Hackathon in January to help tech companies solve healthcare related challenges. The competition is one of the city’s innovation initiatives for 2020. ( Daytona Beach News Journal )

Pittsburgh, Pa. is using image sensors and other data collection tools to create safer intersections. ( Center for Data Innovation )  

San Antonio, Texas has collaborated with Bexar County and the University of Texas San Antonio to launch “SA Speak Up,” a survey that aims to gauge the severity of the digital divide in the community. ( Government Technology ) 

Westminster, Md.’s Mid-Atlantic Gigabit Innovation Collaboratory (MAGIC) hosted Capture the Flag, a cybersecurity competition, on November 9th -- the largest one to date with more than 300 registrants. ( MAGIC )   
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. 
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.

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