Deputy Director Brian Donoghue represented Next Century Cities at the Michigan Broadband Summit in Holland, Michigan, on November 3rd, 2022. Merit Network hosted this informative event that included presentations from federal and state officials. Conversations with local leaders about their broadband program success stories were one of many program highlights. 

The annual gathering kicked off with presentations from Ben Fineman, Michigan Federal Program Officer for NTIA, and Eric Frederick, Chief Connectivity Officer of the Michigan High-Speed Internet Office. After Fineman shared highlights of NTIA’s BEAD and Digital Equity Programs, Frederick provided an overview of the Michigan High-Speed Internet Office and shared more information about their upcoming programs and FCC data challenges.

Morning breakout sessions included a deep-dive on Merit’s Project MOON-Light (Michigan Open Optical Network- Leveraging Innovation to Get High-Speed Technology for all) and a panel with private-sector experts providing guidance for successful public-private broadband partnerships. City of Detroit’s Deputy Director of Digital Inclusion & Equity Autumn Evans led a session titled “Digital Equity As An Operation and Not a Project” and discussed Connect 313’s work to coordinate and support city-wide digital inclusion efforts using a data-driven, community-based philosophy.

During lunch, Peggy Schaffer, the longtime Director of the Maine Connectivity Authority (retired), gave an energizing keynote that emphasized how community broadband is human infrastructure and the importance of building capacity for community change. After lunch, there was an opportunity to hear about the ongoing work in the summit’s host community of Holland from City Superintendent of Broadband Services Pete Hoffswell. Holland, Michigan is home to one of the first open-access community-owned fiber networks. Hoffswell discussed the City’s effort to expand the fiber network to every home. 

The afternoon sessions highlighted stories from several local leaders working on expanding access and adoption in Michigan communities: 

• Lucy Blair, Communications Director, and Lynn Meikle, Communications Coordinator for the Calhoun County Government discussed increasing digital inclusion in rural communities, including connecting with grassroots efforts and surveying to understand residents’ experiences with internet access.
• The City of Detroit’s Chief Information Officer, Art Thompson, and Digital Equity Manager, Oscar Chapa, discussed the data-driven expansion of shared fiber infrastructure.
• Kristoffer Tobbe, Chief Information Officer for Livingston County shared guidance on using data to tell stories that are compelling to discerning audiences, and Quentin Bishop, County Administrator for Lapeer County outlined his strategy for building consensus through approaching individual stakeholders and managing relationships. 

Congratulations and thanks are due to the Merit Team for pulling together an event that emphasized the contributions of local leaders working toward digital equity in communities across Michigan. We are excited for what will come from more frequent gatherings among broadband advocates where attendees are genuinely invested in each others’ success. Convening with members of the broadband advocacy community helps reinforce why we have all chosen to do this work.