E-Connectivity listening session Sept. 20 in Colorado

Regional and industry leaders, as well as rural broadband users are expected to participate in an E-Connectivity Listening Session on Sept. 20 in Denver, Colorado. This listening session-part of the project, What’s on the Horizon for E-Connectivity in Rural America, will be at 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. MDT at the Northwest Club Room in the Hall of Education on the National Western Complex, 4655 Humboldt St., Denver.

 

The project is organized by Farm Foundation, in collaboration with CoBank, NTCA-The Rural Broadband Association, National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, the National Rural Utilities Cooperative Finance Corporation, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

 

"Through these listening sessions, we want to focus on options to address the specific challenges rural residents encounter in accessing consistent, quality broadband services," says Farm Foundation President Constance Cullman. "We will hear from regional experts, but an important element of the session will be hearing from the people who live and work with limited broadband access today."

 

The Sept. 20 event is part of a series of listening session to gather insights into the tools that are needed to improve e-connectivity in rural America. This specific session will focus on the needs and options for building quality broadband service to enhance educational opportunities, as well as quality of life in rural America.

 

There is no charge for this event, but reservations are requested by close of business Sept. 18. Reservations can be made by sending an e-mail to [email protected].

 

Brian Tagaban, director of governmental policy at Sacred Wind Communications, Yatahey, New Mexico, will be part of a panel discussing tools providers are using to enhance broadband services today. Joining him on that panel will be Jon Saunders, CEO of SECOM, a division of the Southeast Colorado Power Association, and David Shipley, general manager of Rye and South Park Telephone Company.

 

"This listening session is a valuable opportunity to engage in a very important discussion about connecting rural communities. Broadband access is crucial to the economic growth and strength of these communities," says Tagaban. "Our customers in rural New Mexico share many of the challenges faced in other rural areas–particularly among the tribal populations. This event is a great way to not only consider those challenges, but also to celebrate the accomplishments of small, rural broadband providers across the region. We have achieved a lot in New Mexico and comparing notes at this listening session will benefit rural communities throughout the entire country."

 

The opening panel will feature Brian Shepherd, COO of the Colorado Broadband Office, as well as representatives from educational institutions. During open mic sessions, which will be offered after each panel, individuals are invited to present brief perspectives on the availability and quality of broadband services in their rural communities. 

 

The Sept. 20 session will conclude with a Washington update by Jannine Miller, senior advisor for Rural Infrastructure at USDA.

 

For those unable to attend the listening sessions in person, a live webcast will be available.

 

The Denver listening session is the fourth regional session to gather specific input from broadband providers and the people who use—or would like to be able to use—those services. A report of those sessions will be provided to federal and state public and private leaders to better inform their decisions regarding improvements to, and expansion of, broadband services in rural America.

 

Other sessions were Aug. 16 in Birmingham, Alabama, and June 19 in Faribault, Minnesota. U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue and Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai joined executives from the five partner organizations in Washington, D.C., to kick