When: January 13th from 10:00 – 12:00 p.m.
Learn about what’s going on in your county, state, country, and how you can be a part of a more digitally equitable North Carolina.
We will start the planning at this event, so share with all your interested partners in digital equity.
Contact Sara Nichols at sara@landofsky.org for more information.
Digital Inclusion Event Registration
This project is made possible by the generous support of BAND-NC Institute for Emerging Issues.
The election is behind us. What does the future of broadband have in the future with the Biden Administration?
Listen to the discussion on broadband and the FCC policy future:
Headlines commonly provide updates to Elon Musk’s SpaceX Starlink program. The SpaceX satellites are low earth orbiting satellites (LEO).
What are the pros and cons of low earth orbit satellites as a potential broadband solution?
Lamar Owen, Chief Technology Officer at the Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute (PARI) provides some insights in this series of recordings on the topics of broadband and PARI.
The internet user experience can be associated with key broadband metrics, including the download, upload, and broadband latency. Additionally, our WNC Broadband project team member, Stagg Newman questions the capacity of a SpaceX satellite and its ability to serve communities.
We need to consider whether Space X can provide the downlink and uplink speeds needed, the low latency, and importantly the capacity to help solve the WNC Broadband challenges.
Stagg Newman, Former Chief Technologist, U.S. National Broadband Team, FCC
Stagg Newman, a WNC Broadband Project Team lead; also provides the link below on capacity and other challenges of SpaceX.
One way to think about SpaceX capacity is to realize that the entire capacity of the SpaceX satellite fleet that will be over the United States at any one time is about the same capacity as one single fiber equipped with the latest and greatest opto-electronics!
Stagg Newman, Former Chief Technologist, U.S. National Broadband Team, FCC
The WNC Broadband Project Team will be hosting a WNC Broadband Summit with UNCA and the Dogwood Health Trust in early March. Stay tuned for details and please contact a member of the WNC Broadband Project Team with any questions.
WNC Broadband Project series on broadband continues at the Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute with Marc Czarnecki learning from Lamar Owen, Chief Technology Officer at PARI… why broadband matters with video conferencing for education.
Broadband latency is critical to ‘glitch-freeness’ as Lamar states.
Bandwidth is really key. Latency is key reliability for glitch-freeness which is very important to the student experience to keep the educational experience from being impeded by technical issues.
Lamar Owen, CTO at PARI
Broadband at PARI or the Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute series continues; with the topic of virtual education.
Lamar Owens, Chief Technology Officer discusses that good broadband is needed for:
As part 4 of a series of questions for Marc Czarnecki, WNC Broadband Project Team; Lamar Owen, Chief Technology Officer at the Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute or PARI was ask about the future of broadband for their area.
Resiliency or the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties – completing a fiber loop to Jackson County and Western Carolina University
Lamar Owen, CTO at PARI
What has broadband enabled at the Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute (PARI)?
As part 3 of the WNC Broadband Project’s inquiry around high speed internet at PARI, Chief Technology Officer Lamar Owen provides insights in this video recording to Marc Czarnecki.
NO, broadband did NOT fall out of the sky and land in Rosman, NC; although PARI does have an impressive collection of artifacts from outside of our planet earth.
In part 1 of this series, Lamar Owen, Chief Technology Officer at the Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute continues to answer Marc Czarnecki’s inquiry about the history of broadband at PARI.
Part 3 – What has broadband enabled at PARI?
More about PARI’s World Class Facility, including their exhibit galleries – https://www.pari.edu/about/our-facility/
Broadband in Western North Carolina can be hidden and the Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute (PARI) has a hidden gem of broadband knowledge.
Marc Czarnecki of the Western North Carolina Broadband Project Team had the special opportunity to seed a series of broadband questions with Lamar Owen, Chief Technology Officer of PARI.
Part 1 of this series on broadband knowledge in WNC is with an introduction to Lamar Owen.
Lamar Owen – https://www.linkedin.com/in/lamar-owen-0a28469/
PARI – https://www.pari.edu/
Vaccination is important.
But what happens when you use an online-scheduling tool?
Quickly you will realize there is another digital divide demographic; those that:
Steward your neighbor and help your community by providing broadband access and help; to those below the digital divide.
Vaccine Demand Has Health Officials Turning to Eventbrite. (2021). The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/08/us/covid-vaccine-eventbrite.html
Legislation on the FIBER NC Act, did not pass legislation largely based on opposition by the larger incumbent telecommunications internet service providers.
In 2020, the FIBER (Foster Infrastructure for Broadband Expansion and Resources) NC Act (HB 431) was up for vote in the NC legislature; but did not get passed.
It would have eliminated existing state restrictions and increase the authority of local governments to build out broadband infrastructure and lease the fiber to internet service providers (ISP).
It would apply to counties with 4.7 percent or less of households without broadband service (determined by the Federal Communications Commission) or that is home to a major military installation–roughly 70% of counties in the state.
How can local municipalities improve high-speed internet? Paul Meyer indicates:
the North Carolina General Assembly should make its first priority upon meeting in January passage of legislation that incorporates the principles of the FIBER NC Act and takes another substantial step in closing our digital divide.
Paul Meyer, Executive Director of the North Carolina League of Municipalities
Meyer, P. (2021, January 3). Broadband would close NC’s digital divide; Big Telecom is blocking it. The Fayetteville Observer; The Fayetteville Observer. https://www.fayobserver.com/story/opinion/columns/guest/2021/01/03/broadband-would-close-ncs-digital-divide-big-telecom-blocking/4087297001/
The WNC Broadband Project is advocating for:
Will your home and business be ready for the future needs of broadband?
Community broadband is needed for every resident in Western North Carolina for economic growth, education, and telehealth as some primary reasons.
The Dogwood Trust annual report notes approved grants in 2020 totaling $552,450 as a listed strategy to:
Retain or catalyze +5000 jobs and to diversify the regional economy through advanced manufacturing and other suitable sectors
Dogwood Trust Annual Report Strategy
Broadband expansion is part of the strategy listed in the annual report linked below.
The Western North Carolina Broadband Project advocates for high-speed internet in our area.
Contact a member of our WNC Broadband Project Team with any questions.
https://dogwoodhealthtrust.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/DogwoodBOLDAnnualReport1120-v5.pdf