Southern Wayne County Regional Chamber of Commerce’s Post

Federal Communications Commission Commissioner Brendan Carr told a House subcommittee this week that the Biden administration's handling of the BEAD program has been hampered by excessive bureaucracy, mismanagement and the prioritizing of political goals over effective broadband deployment. See the story from Wireless Estimator. "Carr concluded his testimony by calling for significant reforms to the BEAD program. He emphasized the need for a streamlined process focused on practical implementation rather than political goals. 'Absent major reforms, the Biden Administration’s implementation of this $42 billion BEAD program is wired to fail,' Carr warned. He urged the administration to prioritize connecting Americans over advancing a political agenda and to simplify the program’s bureaucratic requirements." #broadband #infrastructure #construction #HighSpeedInternet #BroadbandForAll #FiberBroadband #broadbandinternet #connectivity #governmentrelations #broadbandaccess #criticalinfrastructure #EconomicImpact #PCCA https://lnkd.in/ejkhcMfd

Why should your town consider public broadband? At the end of the day, it comes down to the primary purpose of reflecting community-focused priorities over profit. Check our handbook to see if public broadband is right for your community. https://lnkd.in/gC-sAWr4

ComEd is constantly strengthening its grid to continue delivering safe, reliable, affordable and clean electricity to customers. Some time ago, we recognized that an advanced communications system, that includes fiber and private wireless network layered on top to operate our grid, is a foundational piece for accomplishing these goals. This “middle mile” communications infrastructure could also play a key role in helping close the digital divide by partnering with internet service providers, telecommunications and cable companies. I highlighted this opportunity today at University of Chicago’s “Chicagoland Broadband Equity & Inclusion Summit: Bridging The Digital Divide” alongside federal, state, local, non-profit and academic leaders. Let’s work together on creating more equitable, more connected communities! Thanks to Associate Professor Nicole Marwell, Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy & Practice and Alexis D. Schrubbe, PhD, Director, Internet Equity Initiative - both of the University of Chicago - and our partners at City of Chicago, Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity’s Office of Broadband, Leo Catholic High School and Kids First Chicago. Additional partners: Patrick Carroll, Nick Feamster, Daniel Anello, Shaka Rawls, Kyla Williams Tate, Devon Braunstein & Matt Schmit #broadband #digitaldivide #middlemile #gridmodernization #CEJA #CEJAworks

Hot off the press! WIA's latest blog on states implementing predictable, proportional, and transparent permitting enabling faster broadband deployments.

HARC congratulates Dr. Margaret Cook, Deputy Director of Climate Equity and Resilience, on being selected to take part in The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s Empowering Justice40 Communities Workshop Planning Committee. This planning committee’s stated objective is to organize a two-day workshop that will gather stakeholder input on implementing Community Benefit Agreements in federally-funded energy infrastructure projects as they relate to the Department of Energy’s Justice40 initiative. Community Benefits Agreements (CBAs) are legally binding contracts that are developed as a means to ensure local residents and neighborhoods directly benefit from large development projects or initiatives. CBAs aim to foster collaboration, equity, and accountability in development processes while providing tangible advantages from a project to the affected community. To learn more about Dr. Cook, visit bit.ly/MCookPhD To learn more about the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s Empowering Justice40 Communities Workshop Planning Committee, visit bit.ly/43fDBnr #HARCresearch #Justice40 #CommunityBenefits

As we wrap up #PermittingMonth, it's exciting to see the momentum around permitting reform in the US. Read about actions being taken at the federal, state, and local level to speed up broadband deployment in WIA's latest blog.

Everyday organizers are on the frontlines of building narrative power and people power needed to strengthen our multiracial democracy and reimagine what’s possible when we come together. Organizers and powerbuilders are some of the most creative, brilliant strategists I know and so critical to the narrative change ecosystem. We need to equip them with the resources to scale their narrative strategies and meet the threats facing our democracy. I am super excited to have collaborated with Power California & #MillionVotersProject on this report on how CA powerbuilding organizations are growing narrative power to strengthen multiracial democracy and create a more inclusive and just California. If you want to see how organizers and movement practitioners define narrative power and what infrastructure we believe our movements need, please download/share this report.

C4K’s new report, 𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘒𝘪𝘥𝘴 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘌𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘺 𝘠𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴: 𝘗𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘗𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘻𝘦 𝘊𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥 𝘊𝘢𝘳𝘦, features community stories to illustrate how the Three Pillars operate. Otoe County, NE, is featured to show the Connect Pillar in action. “The providers are so appreciative of the funding opportunities. It’s made a big difference in their ability to care for the kids, their ability to get licensed, and their ability to learn more about how to provide better care.” - Dan Mauk, Executive Director of the Nebraska City Area Economic Development Corporation To read more about the C4K partnership work in Otoe County, visit: https://bit.ly/3Rm1GVb To read the full report, visit: https://bit.ly/3UXcBpe #C4KPartnersforImpact #C4KEarlyYearsReport

Your next successful strategy begins with a story of someone else's. Whether public or private, Level365 can simplify communications, meet your monthly budget, and deliver new levels of productivity. Your phone service is on the front line for your brand. It's time to hit the "easy button" and switch! #UCaaS

With telecommunications costs set to increase steeply in a few months, Howard County had #LimitedTime to decide if it was worth making a #switch. They needed the following benefits in order to say yes: 💰 significant reduced monthly expenses 🔧 simple installation to meet tight deadline 🖥️ Month-to-month service (no long-term contracts required) Luckily, Level365 could provide these and more. Click the link below to read the full case study https://l365.co/3P65vgm