Governor's Address: Governor Janet Mills

• Join us for a welcome on day 2 by Governor Janet Mills. After an eventful year for broadband funding and strong state leadership and action, Governor Mills will be sharing her initiatives for closing the digital divide with the Maine broadband community.

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• Watch on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S386fff9j7g

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Keynote Session: Susan Crawford

• We welcome the opportunity to hear from Harvard professor and author of Fiber: The Coming Tech Revolution - and Why America Might Miss It, Susan Crawford as she provides a national and global view on the forward progression of technology and broadband access in today’s age. Susan is joined by two Maine broadband representatives as they ask questions that allow the opportunity for a Maine-focused discussion.

  • ​Susan Crawford is the John A. Reilly Clinical Professor at Harvard Law School. She is the author of Fiber: The Coming Tech Revolution - and Why America Might Miss It, Captive Audience: TheTelecom Industry and Monopoly Power in the New Gilded Age, co-author of The Responsive City: Engaging Communities Through Data-Smart Governance, a contributor to Wired, and an expert in tech, public policy, and how they affect our lives. Crawford is a sought-after keynote speaker for tech conferences, universities, trade associations, policy arenas, and local city government and civic groups across the country.

  • Maine Broadband Representatives:

    • Community Leader: Joe Meadows, Liberty, ME

    • Industry Representative: Kerem Durdag, GWI

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• Watch on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPHrZ5Ya1xY

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Senator's Address: Senator Angus King

• On the heels of the passage of the Build Back Better infrastructure package that will bring roughly $300 Million to broadband efforts in Maine, Senator King will address broadband leaders as we continue to plan and implement projects that will bring reliable, high-speed access to all Mainers.

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• Watch on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OL0q1Ot23zE

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How Regional Broadband Can Work: Examples from New England

• Regional broadband planning and projects are growing across Maine and it’s time we dig into how these models can work efficiently towards networked infrastructure. We’ll be hearing from regional efforts in neighboring New England states, VT & NH, on how they’ve tackled regional, reliable, high-speed internet through communications union districts.

  • ​Participants will...

    • Learn from regional models about HOW to get from planning to financing to completion.

    • Understand how to strategically look at staging the project development for grant funding and creating a financial track record to leverage larger funding for ‘served’ areas.

    • See how the “CCI model” (town revenue bonds + long-term contracts) is working

• Session hosts: Peggy Schaffer, ConnectMaine Authority 

  • ​Panelists: Christine Hallquist, Vermont Community Broadband Board; Carole Monroe,ValleyNet

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• Watch on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0b4IWz6ncc

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The Open Last Mile

• Attendees will hear from open access expert, Greg Whelan, as he lays out the several paths toward open access connectivity. His learnings and models span the globe with insight into how the approaches can be shaped to address the needs of connectivity use in the US.

  • ​Participants will...

    • Leave the session with a fuller understanding of open access and the models that exist

    • Be better prepared with resources to determine the right solution for their community and/or region

• Session host: Jeff Letourneau, Networkmaine 

  • ​Speaker: Greg Whelan, Broadband Consultant - Magellan Advisors

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• View presentation slides: The Open Last Mile slides

• Watch on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcr--48TtHM

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Inclusive Innovation & Energy for The Future

• Imagine Maine in 2035. What will we be able to do then - that we can’t do now? Who has fueled our innovation and how have we adapted to the challenges of our time by making the most of technology? What is possible in the not too distant future?

  • ​Participants will...

    • Gain insight into what “inclusive innovation” is and how it has been applied in urban and rural communities

    • Learn about how the alignment of our electrical systems and ICT systems can transform our entire economy and climate action objectives

    • Discuss and envision new models of public private partnerships.

    • Learn about how investments in broadband can help achieve climate goals.

• Session host: Andrew Butcher, Maine ConnectivityAuthority

  • ​Panelists: Debra Lam, Partnership for Inclusive Innovation; Susan Crawford, Author & Harvard Law School; Seth Hoedl, Post Road Foundation

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• Watch on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1iaV_Y3lvE

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Social Justice Requires Broadband Access

• A lot has changed across the Maine broadband landscape and throughout the changes one thing is prevalent: broadband is a social justice issue. Let’s dig into this further and understand how and why this has occurred in Maine. As the session goes on, we’ll start to discuss what ‘we’ (broadband partners, leaders, communities, etc) can do about it. This session might be only 55-minutes, but we can assure you this conversation will continue on past the end of the summit.

  • ​Participants will...

    • Start to understand further complexities of broadband access in Maine.

    • Learn from different perspectives on how access to broadband can be a limiting barrier or an open door for success and growth.

    • Engage in a discussion of what the pathways for digital equity in Maine could look like.

• Session host: Christa Thorpe, Island Institute

  • ​Speakers: Mareisa Weil, Maine Family Planning; Preston Thomas, Four Directions Development Corporation; Kerem Durdag, Great Works Internet (GWI)

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• Watch on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mw4IrMp98Rg

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MBC/AARP County Connectors Training

• Amidst pandemic recovery - the question of how to enable community driven solutions at a regional scale is central to addressing the State’s broadband challenges. This session will serve asa focused training to help participants engage a diverse array of stakeholders from multiple sectors through MBC’s Regional Dialogues which serve as a platform for information sharing and action planning.

  • ​Participants will...

    • Receive an introduction to hosting regional dialogues in their area

    • Train on facilitation needed to bring a regionally focused broadband conversation to their area

    • Connect deeper with AARP and broadband for their local success

• ​Session hosts: Clara McCool, Maine Broadband Coalition; Sam Naumann, AARP

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• Watch on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XY7yZEl5pEg