|
Details:
|
Lighting the Way to the Future
Our Panel:
Tim Barnes, Pulaski County
Clay Goodman, Roanoke County Administrator
Kevin Boggess, Salem City Manager
Chris Morrill, City Manager of Roanoke
Dennis Reece, Citizens Telephone Cooperative
Marc Verniel, Town Manager of Blacksburg
Event Details:
Infrastructure is part of the equation for our communities economic, educational and governmental success. This means not just roads, bridges, water systems, and the electric grid, but also broadband. Increasingly, businesses and local economic development agencies recognize how fast and reliable broadband networks are critical inputs to productivity. State and local governments understand that broadband can help them deliver services more cheaply to citizens—and often more effectively. “Broadband is the great infrastructure challenge of the early 21st century,” states’ efforts to meet that challenges will have payoffs for the entire country” (State Broadband Access). Learn how our community has come together under private and public leadership to pursue ways to lay and light broadband to promote economic development, build strong communities, improve delivery of government services, and upgrade educational systems. The ingredients for meeting these goals are fast and ubiquitous broadband networks, a population of online users, and an economic structure that helps drive broadband innovation and investment in new broadband uses.
Discussion Points and Take-Aways:
1. Learn why broadband is critical for the future of our region.
2. Understand what is currently being done in the region to provide a robust broadband infrastructure for the future of our tech companies, entrepreneurs and education.
3. Learn the differences between our current infrastructure and our vision for what is possible with laying and lighting broadband.
4. Gain insight on the leadership of this initiative and how you can be involved to help us further our efforts.
|