January 24, 2020

The digital divide is a real division in the country, affects more than just rural areas and keeps Americans from crucial access to 21st Century skills, a diverse panel of digital inclusion experts said Thursday at an event here hosted by Next Century Cities.

Broadband advocates emphasized the importance of building community networks – wired and wireless – in speaking at a Next Centuries Cities event here on Thursday.

Consumer advocacy groups are urging the Federal Communications Commission to collect better data about the cost of broadband to consumers, as part of the agency’s annual inquiry into carriers’ efforts to roll out high-speed web access.

Jacksonville officials see the future as being online, and have started asking people how best to build for the future of high-speed internet in the city. Alderman Brandon Adams said during a committee meeting Tuesday that some businesses especially have expressed having issues with unreliable service and some have had to install secondary internet services

Ammon Technology Director Bruce Patterson is scheduled to appear before the Next Century Cities’ Bipartisan Tech Policy Conference in Washington D.C. Thursday. The city’s unique open-access fiber optic utility has gathered national attention as an automated open-access fiber utility.