Broadband Planning: Smart Cities and Superclusters

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

• How to understand the value of comprehensive planning in building a resilient, sustainable "Smart City" as well as the direct impact of high-speed broadband on economic development, workforce development, education and healthcare.
• Best practices of Wi-Fi SuperClusters, and the value and the role of diversified input from industry, academia, nonprofits, and the public in comprehensive broadband planning
• How to conduct a broadband-infrastructure inventory and assessment of vertical and horizontal assets, and evaluate digital-equity capacity needed to establish regional priorities, risks, and objectives for broadband planning

MORE SESSION DETAILS

High-speed broadband is as essential to communities as other infrastructures, and yet many community plans only lightly touch or completely ignore broadband capacity and technology. Experts will share best practices, research, and case histories supporting smart cities and Wi-Fi SuperClusters. Learn how to avoid common pitfalls and challenges inherent in broadband deployment. Explore the role and value of public Wi-Fi SuperClusters in regional planning and the impact of public-private partnerships on robust broadband planning. A SuperCluster is a multi-city, multi-stakeholder collaboration organized around common project objectives and shared solutions. SuperCluster planning enables communities to address regional issues more effectively and efficiently by deploying shared solutions that create economies of scale. Robust high-speed broadband benefits urban, rural and remote communities alike. Learn how improved connectivity yields improvements in transportation, public safety, and agricultural capacity and production and how Internet of Things (IoT) networks can lower the costs of municipal utilities, water and waste management services, and law enforcement. Discuss digital equity and proven strategies that eliminate historical barriers to broadband access and use. This session offers an opportunity to sign up for broadband technical assistance.