Is Wisconsin making progress when it comes to extending high-quality broadband coverage to all parts of the state? Find out Tuesday, Feb. 20 at the Tech Council Innovation Network luncheon meeting in Madison.
The luncheon will be held at the Sheraton Hotel on Madison’s John Nolen Drive. Registration and networking begin at 11:30 a.m., lunch at noon and the presentation at 12:30 p.m. The cost is $10 for students and returning veterans, $25 for individual members, $35 for non-members and included for Tech Council corporate members. Click here to register.
A panel of experts will describe emerging technologies, state-backed broadband initiatives and the federal “Connect America Fund 2,” which is being used to help communities better connect.
Panelists include: Jim Jermain, regional vice president of external affairs, AT&T Wisconsin; Angie Dickison, Wisconsin state broadband director; and a representative from Microsoft, which is pushing an initiative to make better use of broadcast “white space” in Wisconsin and a dozen other states.
Wisconsin ranks second only behind California among the 50 states in Connect America Fund 2 dollars earmarked between now and 2020. In addition, the state has passed a rural broadband expansion bill that will spend another $35.5 million over three years. Panelists will discuss how the rollout is expected to take place and how communities can most effectively take part.
“There is likely no ‘silver bullet’ for broadband in Wisconsin. A mix of technologies, from white space to Digital Subscriber Lines, from satellite to public Wi-Fi networks, and from optical fiber to small-cell transmission links, will likely drive the solution,” said Tom Still, president of the Wisconsin Technology Council.
This luncheon is sponsored by BMO Harris Bank.
The Wisconsin Technology Council is the independent, non-profit science and technology adviser to the governor and Legislature, with events, publications and outreach that contribute to Wisconsin’s tech-based economy. To join, go to www.wisconsintechnologycouncil.com or call 608-442-7557.
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