First, thanks to the Next Century Cities’ network for the warm welcome. Before joining NCC, I served as Director of Civic Innovation for the City of South Bend,Indiana where I worked across two Mayoral administrations. Alongside a group of dedicated public servants and nonprofit practitioners, we built strong, sustainable partnerships to drive direct outcomes for residents.  We expanded digital opportunities using collaborative programming, improved broadband infrastructure, and device distribution programs. 

One key partnership from my time in South Bend involved working with the library and a local dark fiber nonprofit. Like other cities, our municipal efforts to bridge the digital divide started with bringing Internet to families who struggled with access to the current broadband infrastructure. We leveraged investments by collaborating with the founders of South Bend Code School to develop scholarship-funded programming for children and adults.  None of our success would have been possible without South Bend community leaders convincing seven anchor institutions to prepay for ten years of subscription fees to get a dark fiber backbone built in the early 2000s.  

As we move into a future where affordable at-home broadband is essential for participation in a digital society, it’s important to acknowledge the uphill battle these types of community-based initiatives required long before distance learning and remote work became integral. I still live in South Bend and can see how that project and others improve the quality of life for residents. Efforts similar to those undertaken in our community have created platforms from which genuine efforts toward digital equity can be launched. 

At Next Century Cities, I plan to help communities build from their strengths to capitalize on the unprecedented amount of attention and funding focused on bridging digital gaps for low-income residents. The bi-partisan infrastructure bill committed around $65 billion in broadband funding. Helping communities address decades of structural inequality through this infusion of funds is an incredibly exciting opportunity. I also want to acknowledge that this historic federal investment comes as a direct result of years of dedicated advocacy from organizations like NCC, our 200+ member municipalities, and partners like Benton Institute. 

I hope that my experience as a local official and community builder will help other local and state leaders prepare more inclusive broadband strategies and equip them to compete for federal funding. I am also looking forward to working with the NCC team and the group of passionate advocates to facilitate the state and local policy change required to help permanently close the digital divide. 

Finally, as COVID restrictions ease, I hope to meet you in your hometown to hear your challenges and success stories. NCC is working to connect cities across the country to foster collaboration that drives the best outcomes possible for residents.  Local leaders can give each other a leg up as we address problems that are all too common regardless of geography. 

You can reach me via email at brian@nextcenturycities.org. Together, we can amplify local voices in federal and state conversations about digital divides that are inherently local. That is vital to addressing digital inequities.

In partnership, 

Brian