You are invited to join the Blandin Broadband crew for week two of the monthlong dispersed broadband conference. It’s a little less intense this week but we have events every day. We won’t take attendance but we’d love to see you there. It’s free and open!

There are three types of activities:

• Digital Office Hours (11:45pm) am-1pm) every day: Join us for casual conversation and fellowship. Each day we have a host, who will give a brief presentation at 11:15 followed by more conversation
• Broadband 101 (1:00-1:45pm) every day: a national broadband consultant or vendor will present on their area of expertise
• Oct 15: (3-4pm) there will be a special workshop with Molly O’Leary from NTCA
• Oct 15: (4:30-6pm): Coleman’s Happy Hour

The complete agenda (with links for more info and links to register and/or login) is below. Remember you can also get info from the Blandin Foundation Conference webpage.

Hope you see you this week!!

Monday, October 12

• 11:00 am – 1:00 pm
  Digital Office Hours: A Citizens’ Broadband Map: Speed Testing Initiatives in Washington and Minnesota with Nathan Zacharias, MN Rural Broadband Coalition Consultant; Russ Elliot, Washington State Broadband Office; Steve Giorgi, Range Association of Municipalities and Schools; and Glenn Fishbine, GEO Partners
• 1:00 pm – 1:45 pm
  Broadband 101: What Should the Network of the Future Do For a Community? by Andrew Cohill, Design Nine

Tuesday, October 13

• 11:00 am – 1:00 pm
  Digital Office Hours: Pandemic Publishing with Children with Anne Brataas, Minnesota Children’s Press
• 1:00 pm – 1:45 pm
  Broadband 101: The Ever-Widening Broadband Gap by Doug Dawson, CCG Consulting

Wednesday, October 14

• 11:00 am – 1:00 pm
  Digital Office Hours: Digital Engagement for Refugees and Immigrants with Fatima Said, Project FINE
• 1:00 pm – 1:45 pm
  Broadband 101: Drive Adoption and Engagement of Your Mobile App by Joe Kohegyi, Calix

Thursday, October 15

• 11:00 am – 1:00 pm
  Digital Office Hours: Novel Coronavirus: Libraries Responding Beyond Books with Hannah Buckland, MDE; Jen Nelson, Minnesota State Librarian; and Maggie Snow, Minitex
• 1:00 pm – 1:45 pm
  Broadband 101: Let’s talk 5G Technology, Use Cases, Market Overview by Brian Pickering, Nokia
• 3:00 – 4:00 pm
  Building Critical Connections: Partnership with Minnesota’s Small Business and Cooperative Broadband Providers by Molly O’Leary, Director of Government Affairs, NTCA
• 4:30 – 6:00 pm
  Bill Coleman’s Broadband Happy Hour
  Door Prizes and Contests! (sign up here)

Friday, October 16

• 11:00 am – 1:00 pm
  Digital Office Hours: Intelligent Communities in Minnesota
• 1:00 pm – 1:45 pm
  Broadband 101: Engaging with ISPs and Utility Companies, Establishing Public-Private Partnerships by Diane Kruse, NEO Connect