WNC Broadband Project

WNC Broadband Project Resources

WNC Broadband Summit Highlight (View Video)
UNCA WNC Broadband Project website preview - Jan. 27, 2020 (View Slideshow)
Broadband Leadership Summit Lessons Learned and Recommendations - Jan. 27, 2020 (View PDF)
Jeff Sural's presentation on broadband initiatives - Jan. 27, 2020 (View Slideshow)
Dr. Marc Hoit's presentation on How to Jumpstart Fiber Benefits in Your Communities - Jan. 27, 2020 (View Slideshow)
Dr. William Sederburg's WestNGN History presentation (View Slideshow)
WLOS Coverage of summit - Jan. 28, 2020 (View Video)

WestNGN Resources

West Next Generation Network (WestNGN) is a collaborative effort hosted by Land of Sky Regional Planning Council (landofsky.org). WestNGN has operated in two stages, and a description of the two stages was made available to 2019 conference attendees (Land of Sky Regional Broadband Summary PDF).

Presentations and Reports from WestNGN Initiative

Dr. Marc Hoit’s presentation starting the West Next Generation Network initiative - Feb. 2016 (View WestNGN Prezi PDF)
Dr. Marc Hoit’s presentation on “The Future of Technology” - Dec. 2016 (View Slideshow)
2017 Project Overview (View WestNGN Timeline Slideshow)
“Accelerating Opportunities” – a report on future broadband needs – Aug. 2017 (View Report)
Presentation to Osher Life Long Learning Center (UNCA) – Fab Friday Series – May 2018 (View Slideshow)
Dec. 2018 Update to WestNGN Community (View Report)
June, 2019 Update to WestNGN Community (View Report)
Slideshow Welcome for Land of Sky “Broadband 101” - July 2019 (View Slideshow)
Dr. Stagg Newman’s presentation to Haywood County Broadband Committee: "Non-Urban America & the Digital Divide Deep Fiber + New Business Models” - Sept. 2019. (View Slideshow)

Regional Resources

The Education and Research Consortium (ERC) is a non-profit organization that provides “middle mile” fiber networks to governmental and non-profit organizations in Western NC. Visit ercwnc.org

Southwestern Commission— a regional planning agency for the southwest corner of NC

2018 Region A Broadband Assessment (View Assessment)
2017 Broadband Summit Resources (Visit regiona.org)
Community Assessments And Broadband Profiles (View Slideshow)

The Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) is an economic development agency federally chartered to assist Appalachian-defined states and counties, including many counties in western NC.

ARC Toolkit for Rural Communities Expand Broadband Service (View Article)
ARC’s report on their telecommunications initiative “Information Age Appalachia: A Rural Digital Divide Program” (Visit arc.gov's Search Link)
ARC Power Grant summary of $1.9 million grant to French Broad Electric Membership Corporation (FBEMC) in Marshall, NC for the Broadband Deployment to Rocky Fork State Park and Surrounding Area (View Summary)

"Minimal at best- Polk realtor says lack of Internet causing loss of home sales" - Tryon Daily Bulletin (View Article)

North Carolina State Resources

NC Dept. of Information Technology is charged with advancing a statewide plan for broadband. (Visit ncbroadband.gov)
“CONNECTING NORTH CAROLINA: State Broadband Plan” (View Report)
“Community Broadband Playbook: Building a Better Broadband infrastructure” (Visit ncbroadband.gov/playbook)
NC GREAT (Growing Rural Economies with Access to Technology) grants recently enacted by the state legislature to assist least served areas of the state. (Visit ncbroadband.gov/greatgrant)
NC League of Municipalities website on community efforts to acquire adequate broadband (Visit nclm.org)
“Leaping the Digital Divide,” 2019 white paper from NC League of Municipalities (View Report)
Institute for Local Reliance has identified broadband access as a priority. Their website provides updates on regional activities of interest. (Visit ilsr.org)
“North Carolina Connectivity: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, Institute for Local Self Reliance – 2016 report on broadband in NC in rural areas (View Report)
“NC Broadband Matters” - nice description of local resources and private/public partnerships (View Report)

National Resources

Community Networks Project – A project funded by foundations to assist communities with their own Internet infrastructure to promote economic prosperity and improve quality of life (Visit muninetworks.org)
Next Century Cities supports mayors and community leaders across the country as they seek to ensure that everyone has fast, affordable and reliable internet access. (Visit nextcenturycities.org)
The Coalition for Local Internet Choice – CLIC – represents a wide range of public and private interests who support the authority of local communities to make the broadband Internet choices that are essential for economic competitiveness, democratic discourse, and quality of life in the 21st century. (Visit localnetchoice.org)
Connect My Community- a non-profit organization assisting communties build broadband infrastructure (Visit connectmycommunity.org)
Connected Nation- a non-profit working to develop tools for communities to implement solutions for their gaps in broadband and digital technology (Visit connectednation.org)
Broadband USA is hosted by The National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s (NTIA) promotes innovation and economic growth by supporting efforts to expand broadband. (Visit broadbandusa.ntia.doc.gov)
The New Yorker - "The One-Traffic-Light Town with some of the Fastest Internet in the U.S." (View Article)