On September 7th and 8th, 2023, the New Mexico Tech Council hosted its annual Tech Summit at the Albuquerque Convention Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Corian Zacher, Next Century Cities’ Senior Policy Counsel for State & Local Affairs, moderated a panel of local leaders discussing innovative strategies they are using to bridge the digital divide. Panelists included Catherine Nicolaou, Broadband Program Manager for the City of Albuquerque, New Mexico; Monique Glaudeˊ, Director of Community Engagement for the City of Topeka, Kansas; and Denise Avila, Director of Strategic Initiatives for The Borderplex Alliance.
Key themes that emerged from the discussion:
- Broadband is essential to every aspect of our lives, including financial services, education, and healthcare.
- Partnerships play an integral role in implementing local broadband programs.
- Accurate data and local leadership are key to accessing broadband and digital equity funding opportunities.
The City of Albuquerque, New Mexico
In just over a year as the City’s first Broadband Program Manager, Catherine Nicolaou has secured a federal grant to promote the Affordable Connectivity Program, launched the city’s first broadband survey, and negotiated city-wide fiber agreements. With expertise from working for a rural and Tribal community broadband provider, she develops broadband access and adoption solutions for Albuquerque residents. Nicolau also seeks to empower her community to ask for what they need, envisioning a future where consumers can make meaningful choices about their home broadband subscription.
Learn more: NCC Partners with the City of Albuquerque and Hosts the Build Broadband Together Workshop
The City of Topeka, Kansas
The City of Topeka’s approach to expanding broadband opportunities has sparked community involvement from residents seeking to connect their neighbors. Through Topeka Shawnee County’s TSC Get Digital program, residents across the city are getting reliable, affordable home broadband connections and the devices they need to use them. Monique Glaudeˊ brings 17 years of dedicated servant leadership through her various positions in local government to her broadband work. During the panel, she shared that meeting people where they are, wearing a t-shirt, and offering realistic information about program offerings has been a key piece of building trust in the City’s program. For residents in Topeka, a home Internet connection and computer are life-changing resources.
The Borderplex Alliance
Broadband efforts in the Borderplex Region grew from local digital inclusion efforts in El Paso County, Texas, and Doña Ana County, New Mexico, into a regional movement. The Borderplex Alliance, which aims to bring jobs, hope, and opportunity to the Borderplex region, set a strategic goal of making the region known for having an inclusive digital economy. Improving infrastructure, promoting digital skills training, and expanding affordable Internet offerings are a few strategies aimed at achieving local broadband goals. As part of the Borderplex Connect Board, Denise Avila works alongside a regional coalition of public, private, nonprofit, and educational partners to launch and manage projects to close the digital divide. In Avila’s words, “We all have a part to play.”
