Since joining the team full time in June of 2023, I have had some incredible opportunities that have guided me through a fantastic first few months at Next Century Cities. In my first few weeks I took a trip to the west coast to attend the “Bridging the Divide” Conference at UC Berkeley School of Law in Berkeley, California; closely followed by a trip to Cleveland, Ohio to attend the Policy Summit 2023 where I met with other non-profit organizations invested in broadband access. In October, in honor of Digital Inclusion Week, I was able to visit some of our members in the DC, Maryland, Virginia area to highlight their commitment to Digital Inclusion by saying thank you with treats from local bakeries. It has been so great to visit with so many of our communities and I look forward to continuing this in the year ahead.
As someone who recently moved into the broadband sector from the field of social work, it was important to me to continue to focus on topics that center around equity and the protection of historically underserved communities. I am most proud of my latest report entitled, The High Cost of Connectivity Has a Disparate Impact on Public Schools. This piece focuses on the public school systems’ dependence on education technology, the policies that are financially destructive for families and academically destructive for students, and offers recommendations for local officials on addressing this issue.
In 2024 I am looking forward to working with and within local communities, spotlighting the stories that will shape the future of broadband and digital equity, and continuing to shed light on the issues that impact today’s youth and protected populations.
It has been so great to see the support from our members for NCC’s virtual lunchtime series, Broadband Bites for Lunch. I am so honored to feature guest speakers that are doing such impactful work in their communities, and I can’t wait to share more community stories and broadband updates in 2024 with our next Broadband Bites for Lunch segment.
Stacey Baxter
Program Manager
