SO much news to share today – sorry! But I thought folks might be interested in the free webinar and I just learned about it…
UTC is pleased to present Making Municipal and Rural Broadband Work A complimentary webcast underwritten by Alcatel-Lucent
As the FCC stated in the Connect America Fund (CAF) announcement: Broadband has gone from being a luxury to a necessity for full participation in our economy and society – for all Americans. In 2011, the FCC adopted comprehensive reforms of its Universal Service Fund (USF) and Intercarrier Compensation (ICC) systems to accelerate broadband build-out to the 18 million (in 2011) Americans living in rural areas without access to robust broadband infrastructure. The reform is expected to expand the benefits of high-speed Internet to millions of consumers in every part of the country by transforming the existing USF into CAF which is focused on broadband.
Consumers everywhere – both urban and rural – will benefit. Reform will not only drive economic growth in rural America, but will expand the online marketplace nationwide, creating jobs and business opportunities across the country.
The FCC’s recent Order enables rural electric cooperatives and municipal utilities to apply for broadband funding for rural broadband trials through CAF. This development has been driven in large measure by the advocacy of the UTC’s Rural Broadband Council, the utility community and its supporting eco-system. This webinar will focus on the success of two municipal utilities in providing these services to their under-served constituencies. Specifically, we will discuss the business case and decision process that led both Holland, Michigan Board of Public Works and Bristol, Virginia Utilities to conclude that providing these services was not only in the best interest of their under-served communities, but that they had a strong and viable business case as well. This webinar will highlight the positive impacts to their communities and how their organizations were able to meet the demands of these new services. We will also discuss the impact of potential CAF grants on the business case and how that positive effect makes this truly a viable and valuable service for the utility to provide.