Next Century Cities Monthly Newsletter
April 2019
Belfast, Maine (via Wikipedia )
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 .
Member News
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 .
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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