Next Century Cities Monthly Newsletter
April 2019
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Hello all,
Welcome to the Next Century Cities monthly newsletter! We are excited to keep you up to date on our work and the efforts of our member communities to improve local connectivity.
We are hard at work organizing our next regional event:
Digital Southeast
! Save the date to join us in
Roanoke, Va.
on
June 4th, 2019
. More details will be available soon at the event page
here
.
Last week, we published an op-ed about how Tennessee’s restrictions on municipal broadband networks are holding back progress in the state. Allowing successful networks to expand would result in more Tennesseans getting connected to fast, affordable, and reliable internet access, without the state spending a dollar. Read more in the
Tennessean
here
.
In March, Next Century Cities partnered with the Coalition for Local Internet Choice, the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, the National Association of Regional Councils, and the National League of Cities to host a screening of
Do Not Pass Go
in Washington, DC. After the film, a panel of experts discussed the importance of local broadband solutions, existing legislative and regulatory barriers, and actions that local and federal government can take to support internet access for all. Read more about the event in our blog
here
.
We highlighted the work of new Next Century Cities member
Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.
in a recent blog post. The city is currently implementing their Fiber Optic Master Plan, a six-year, $13 million investment plan to establish the infrastructure necessary to provide gigabit broadband service to the business community as well as future fiber-to-the-premise projects. They’re excited to join our membership, saying, “Next Century Cities is providing agencies with a forum to collaborate and share best practices to overcome challenges and meet opportunities of gigabit level internet.” Read more about Rancho Cucamonga, and see a list of our other new members, in our blog
here
.
Next Century Cities welcomed our 200th member in March:
Belfast, Maine
! We’re working hard to reach our goal of adding 100 new members in 2019. If you know of a community that could benefit from our resources and support, please
get in touch with us
.
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San Leandro, Calif
. is hiring a new Innovation Technology Analyst! The analyst will take on projects related to innovation, digital services, and projects/programs, and will identify opportunities to improve and/or redesign city processes utilized by internal staff and public users. Learn more and apply
here
.
San Jose, Calif.’s
Mayor, Sam Liccardo, discussed the city’s digital inclusion challenges and why the federal government should get out of the way of local and state innovation in a recent interview. Read more in
RouteFifty
here
.
Baltimore, Md.
is considering legislation that would ban the sale of the city’s 700-mile conduit system and establish stricter penalties for improper use. Read more in
Technical.ly
here
.
Santa Cruz County, Calif.’s
policy analyst Patrick Mulhearn wrote about policymaking in the public right of way and strategies for local governments to affect change, specifically with regard to siting and pole attachment processes. Read the piece on Next Century Cities’ site
here
.
Ammon, Idaho; Chattanooga, Tenn.; and Wilson, N.C.
were cited as examples of successful local broadband projects in Benton Senior Fellow Jonathan Sallet’s recent remarks before the Federal Trade Commission. Read more from the Benton Foundation
here
.
Fayetteville, Ark.’s
Digital Inclusion Task Force hosted a meeting about 5G and net neutrality. Residents were able to ask questions about how 5G works and what it might mean for consumers and businesses. Read more and watch a recording of the event at KNWA
here
.
Davidson, N.C.
-born Eliminate the Digital Divide (E2D) and
Charlotte, N.C.’s
Digital Charlotte have provided an example of comprehensive, community-based digital inclusion work. Read more about these success stories from the Benton Foundation
here
.
Louisville, Ky.’s
Digital Inclusion Design Jam (hosted in partnership with IxDA Louisville) and new broadband mapping tool
SpeedUp Louisville
are two innovative ways the city has involved the community in tackling technology challenges. Read more about the Design Jam
here
and about SpeedUp Louisville
here
.
Lowell, Mass.’s
City Council is considering entering into an agreement with SiFi Networks to develop a fiber optic network in the city. Read more in the
Sentinel and Enterprise
here
.
Some
San Antonio, Texas
officials expressed concern about a proposed bill that would limit cable franchise fees, claiming that it wouldn’t result in lower costs for consumers and would give big telecom companies a competitive advantage. Read more in the
Houston Chronicle
here
.
Medina County, Ohio
is working with Neighborly and iFiber Communications to construct an open access fiber-to-the-home network. Read more in
Crain’s Cleveland Business
here
.
Chula Vista, Calif.; San Antonio, Texas; Canton, Ohio; Los Angeles, Calif.; Chattanooga, Tenn.; Boston, Mass.; Albany, N.Y.; San Jose, Calif.; Louisville, Ky.; and Raleigh, N.C
. are all finalists for IDC Government Insights’ Smart Cities North America Awards. Read more in Smart Cities Dive
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.
Best,
Deb
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Next Century Cities, 1342 Florida Ave NW, Washington, DC 20009
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