Events & Webinars
Register for upcoming Appalachia Digital Accelerator events and watch past recordings on-demand
Upcoming Events
To be confirmed
Past Events
At the Appalachia Digital Accelerator grantee workshop, 70 community champions came together to share stories and strategies for expanding broadband access across rural Appalachia.
In this webinar, Tom Reid from Reid Consulting Group outlines gives an overview of accessing and using CostQuest’s fabric mapping data. This mapping provides key information on broadband serviceable locations that is critical for broadband planning and identifying coverage gaps. Learn how the fabric can be used to understand your coverage area and identify miscategorized locations.
Speakers: Aaron Schill & Paolo Balboa
Asset Mapping for digital inclusion is an approach to planning and community development that is centered on identifying and building upon a community’s existing resources. Deep community engagement is a key part of asset mapping, used to uncover existing strengths, skills, and connections that can be leveraged. As an approach to data collection and documenting the current state of digital equity, asset mapping is inherently solution-oriented.
Watch this video to learn best practices around asset mapping and see several examples of asset mapping in practice. Get an introduction to tools and templates created by NDIA to conduct asset mapping locally.
Speaker: Sean Gonsalves
The webinar focuses on building a basic understanding of broadband technologies and how they have come to be deployed the way they are. This includes descriptions and explanations of different types of broadband networks and the expected quality of connections from each. It focuses on how fiber optic networks work and are built due to the heavy emphasis on such networks from broadband grant programs. The Q&A opens a wide range of questions beyond the topics covered, including insights from other community efforts as needed.
Speaker: Tom Reid
As part of their BEAD plans, all states must include a process to allow local entities (such as local governments, nonprofits, and ISPs) to challenge the locations which the state has deemed eligible (and ineligible) to receive BEAD funding.
This webinar with Reid Consulting Group describes how the BEAD challenge process works and what strategies communities can use to ensure they’re eligible to apply for the funding they’re entitled to.
Speakers: Natalie Roper, Alex Kelley, Richard Jenkins
In this webinar, Just Transition Fund, Rural Innovation Strategies, Inc., and USDA share details about the next round of the Reconnect grant program and how rural and historically marginalized communities can access funding to deploy high-speed internet. Richard Jenkins (USDA) gives an overview of Reconnect and answers questions about the program. Natalie Roper (Just Transition Fund) and Alex Kelley (Rural Innovation Strategies, Inc.) facilitate the conversation with Richard and share resources from their organizations that can help applicants get ready to apply.
In this session, Chris Mitchell and Sean Gonsalves (ILSR) detail why deep community involvement in broadband planning is vital for creating successful, sustainable networks.
They cover strategies for community engagement, including:
– How to talk to your community about broadband planning
– Who to talk to in your community about broadband planning (including unlikely allies and champions)
– How to build effective collaboration between the community broadband planning partners
– And what resources are needed
Watch on-demand to learn more:
In this webinar Connect Humanity’s Chief Investment Officer Brian Vo gives an overview of how to think about financial planning for broadband networks
Watch for insights on:
– Core concepts: Learn about the key components that make up network financials.
– Information gathering: Learn where to find the information you need to complete your plan’s financial section.
– Getting support: Discover what extra expertise you might need and how to access it.
This webinar is tailored for participants of the Appalachia Digital Accelerator Program but is useful for anyone interested in learning about network financials.
Community Reinvestment Act rules were recently updated to give greater priority for digital equity, recognizing the essential nature of broadband infrastructure for community development.
In this webinar, community finance expert Jordana Barton-Garcia joins Samantha Schartman for a discussion on how communities can leverage CRA funding for broadband, with guidance on:
- Navigating CRA: Understand the pathways to tap CRA funding for your broadband initiative.
- Understanding eligibility: Get information on how CRA funds can be used
- Initiating Stakeholder Conversations: Learn how to kick-start discussions with key stakeholders and relevant banking institutions.
This webinar is particularly relevant for entities that can leverage CRA funding, including local governments and councils of government, local economic entities (e.g economic development councils), planning districts, schools, libraries, and other public institutions.
In this on-demand webinar, Alex Kelley from CORI and Tom Reid from Reid Consulting detail how communities can engage effectively with ISP partners to secure local benefits. You’ll learn how to approach negotiations with ISPs to shape successful partnerships on broadband projects, including when seeking public funding opportunities like BEAD.
Watch to learn:
This session is tailored for Appalachia Digital Accelerator participants but is open to everyone interested in how to build successful partnerships with ISPs to expand broadband access.
In this webinar, Erica Mesker (Connect Humanity) and Beth Sanner (Appalachian Regional Commission) give an overview of funding opportunities for broadband development in Appalachia.
Erica gives advice on navigating private philanthropy, with tips on how to prospect funders, build relationships, and develop narratives for successful applications. Both gives an update on ARC grants that that participants should consider to help finance the implementation of Connectivity Plans.
This session is tailored for Appalachia Digital Accelerator participants but is open to anyone hoping to learn more about digital equity funding opportunities.
This webinar Sarah Rezac & Megan Beresford discuss the importance of cybersecurity considerations for local governments, community members, and internet service providers (ISP).
They outline the relevance of cybersecurity in digital equity planning, showcase opportunities such as the FEMA State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program, and offer practical strategies for bolstering government and community safety and security.
In this webinar, Aaron Schill and Paolo Balboa from the National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA) discuss strategies for designing effective digital equity implementation plans. They are joined by Ashley Smith from Shaping Our Appalachian Region (SOAR) and Megan Waiters from the Community Service Programs of West Alabama, who share their experiences as digital navigators.
Discover how to create impactful digital adoption programs and get inspiration from other successful initiatives in Appalachia. While tailored for Appalachia Digital Accelerator participants, this session is valuable for anyone involved in broadband expansion efforts.
Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) portals are opening and the deadline for federal Digital Equity Grant applications is coming up. Plus there are the opportunities from USDA, the Appalachian Regional Commission, and state-specific programs like Completing Access to Broadband (CAB) in North Carolina.
In this webinar, three speakers give a walk-through of broadband funding avenues available to communities in Appalachia:
– Beth Sanner, Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC)
– Aaron Schill, NDIA
– Tom Reid, Reid Consulting
This session is tailored for Appalachia Digital Accelerator participants but is open to anyone hoping to learn more about digital equity funding opportunities.
Appalachia Digital Accelerator participants have access to Dun & Bradstreet data, detailing local business—a valuable tool for effective broadband planning.
The presence of local businesses and community anchors make areas more attractive to potential ISP partners. In this webinar, Tom Reid & Kim Corriher from Reid Consulting helped grantees understand how to leverage this data, covering:
- What this data covers and why it’s vital
- How to access and work with it
- Why it’s a powerful tool for connectivity planning
- Real-world use cases for broadband and community development projects
In this video, Reid Consulting introduces and demonstrates the value of “Fiberhoods”, a project created as part of the Appalachia Digital Accelerator to identify neighborhoods with strong potential for privately funded fiber broadband deployments.
This tool will support participants of Connect Humanity’s Appalachia Digital Accelerator to attract ISP partners, expand broadband access, and strengthen connectivity across the region.
The Appalachia Digital Accelerator is a project in partnership with the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC), which contributed $6.3 million (80% of the total project cost).
