Join us in Raleigh for the second annual NC Hearts Gigabit Interactive, a showcase of solutions demonstrating why access to modern broadband matters to rural and urban vitality, workforce development, and leadership in technology innovation as a state. Let's power the future of local communities in North Carolina!
Access to modern broadband infrastructure matters for public health and safety, in education, and to farming. This session offers an opportunity for peer-to-peer sharing on the successful development of local applications for telehealth, disaster recovery, public safety, precision agriculture and e-learning.
Moderator:
Kenny Flowers, NC Commerce
Speakers:
Will Aycock, Wilson Greenlight
Greg Coltrain, RiverStreet Networks
Charles Laird, NC FirstTech
John Graham, NC Telehealth Network Association
Keith Purvis, Greenville Produce Company
How can communities use their resources to finance alternative internet networks when bypassed by traditional providers? This session will highlight federal grants, loans, local bank programs and public/private partnerships structured around in-kind public facilities, with insights on how to attract providers.
Moderator: Nate Denny, NCDIT
Speakers:
Alan Fitzpatrick, Open Broadband
Eric Cramer, RiverStreet Networks
Jonathan Bullock, Hotwire Communications
Gloria Hancock, CoBank
Introduction: Erik Garr, NC General Manager, Google Fiber
The world of fiber optic connections reaching neighborhoods, homes, and businesses will represent as great a change from what came before as the advent of electricity. But the playing field in the U.S. is tilted against competition, holding back the infrastructure improvements necessary for the country to move forward. Award-winning writer and Harvard Law School Professor Susan Crawford explains how a few cities and towns, including two in North Carolina, are finding ways to bring the next technological revolution to their communities.
Federal policies affect our daily lives. Join us for this timely and informed review of recent changes to the broadband landscape, including the FCC's preemption of state and local authority, oversight of small cell deployments, the impact of the BDAC model state code, the CAF II program, and the appeals court adjudication of net neutrality.
Moderator:
Erin Wynia, NC League of Municipalities
Speakers:
Eric Cramer, RiverStreet Networks
Jim Baller, Baller Stokes & Lide
Doug Dawson, CCG Consulting
Broadband is the difference between world-class experiences and isolated ones. These entrepreneurial gig app developers and the programs that support them illustrate how local leadership drives the integration of technology and economic development policy.
Moderator:
Sarah Glova, RIoT
Speakers:
Scott Turnbull, US Ignite
Chris Sunde, GoodRoads
Darren Smith, Wilson Innovation Hub
