Event Comes Just Days After Federal Infrastructure Bill Passes
Merit Network’s Michigan Moonshot Broadband Summit returned in person on Nov. 9. Though Merit held the event virtually last year, this summit, in Traverse City, was the first physical version of the event since the pandemic began.
The annual summit brings together people in the broadband community, from Michigan and across the nation, to share notes, ideas and experiences on expanding broadband access.
The timing of this year’s event couldn’t have been better, coming on the heels of the $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill the U.S. Congress passed on Nov. 5. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act contains $65 billion for broadband, $100 million of which could be headed to Michigan to bring high-speed internet access to 400,000 residents.
The once-in-a-generation moment will serve as a marker in the historical timeline of broadband advancement. But the speakers at the summit cautioned that the money, welcome as it is, comes with responsibilities to use it effectively. And that calls for building close relationships with those at the community level to ensure they use the money in ways that serve their specific, and often unique, needs.
This means not just identifying needs, but also helping local leaders, who have no reason to be experts in broadband infrastructure, learn the finer points of service models and build-outs.
“What scares me is that two years from now, your communities will still be exactly the same. We need to tap local people who may not be technical but can socialize ideas,” said Francella Ochillo, executive director of Next Century Cities. “The idea that this is just about money is just not true.”
Similar remarks came from the event’s keynote speakers. Kathryn De Wit, project director of the Broadband Access Initiative at The Pew Charitable Trusts, said states with the best broadband promotion offices are those that have the closest local relationships. Doug McCollough, chief information officer for the City of Dublin, Ohio, called for a “reset” on broadband service — less fighting and more cooperation in the great debate over public versus private models — in the interest of delivering equitable access to communities.
“Governments are good at building and maintaining infrastructure. Companies are good at delivering services. Let’s not beat each other up,” McCollough said.