Next Century Cities supports mayors and community leaders across the country as they seek to ensure that everyone has fast, affordable and reliable internet access.

Opportunities for Bipartisan Tech Policy will be a half day event bringing together members of Congress, community leaders, and policy experts. Keynote conversations and panel discussions will work to determine key policy goals and action steps for the new Congress, with a specific focus on rural broadband and digital privacy legislation.

Starting a little more than a decade ago, Chattanooga’s municipal electric utility, EPB, began  making moves to add broadband internet, TV, and telephone services to its roster of offerings. Incumbent cable and telecom providers did everything they could to stop EPB. They ran ads that warned the public against municipal broadband, questioned the need for faster internet speeds and filed lawsuits against EPB.