[News] AAPB and ILSR Prepare For Inaugural ‘Future of Public Broadband’ Conference

By Sean Gonsalves

Some of the nation’s leading thinkers and doers in the community broadband sector will connect and collaborate in the nation’s capital for the inaugural Community First: The Future of Public Broadband Conference and Hill Day next week.

Slated for May 14 and 15, the two-day conference is being hosted by the American Association for Public Broadband and New America Open Technology Institute, in partnership with ILSR's Community Broadband Networks Initiative, the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society, and the Community Broadband Action Network.

The in-person gathering will bring together public broadband champions, community leaders, policymakers, and industry experts to focus on strategy and advocacy in the face of potentially dramatic changes to the $42.5 billion BEAD program – the single-largest federal investment to ensure every household in the nation has access to high speed Internet connectivity.

Registration and tickets are still available here.

With the rise of community-owned broadband networks and cooperatives now flourishing across the nation, organizers are hoping to create “an essential space to share best practices, discuss financing, shape public policy, and support the development and expansion of public broadband networks.”

On the first day of the conference, attendees will be welcomed by AAPB Executive Director Gigi Sohn. The morning will be devoted to advocacy training before launching into three, focused panel discussions led by an array of broadband experts.

The first panel – “From Vision to Connection: Building a Successful Public Broadband Network,” – will be moderated by Raza Panjwani, Senior Policy Counsel for New America's Open Technology Institute and focus on lessons learned from launching and growing successful community-owned networks.

Panelists include: UTOPIA Fiber Executive Director Roger Timmerman; Maple Broadband Executive Director Ellie de Villiers; Jordana Barton García, Director of the Texas Rio Grande Valley Broadband Coalition for Connect Humanity; Traverse City Light & Power Chief Technology and Innovation Officer Scott Menhart; and Joshua Edmonds, CEO of DigitalC.

After the first panel, attendees will be treated to a fireside chat with AAPB Executive Director Gigi Sohn and Elliot Noss, President and CEO of Ting.

The second panel – “Bridging the Divide Together - Public-Private Partnerships for Broadband Expansion” – will highlight an emerging trend in community broadband known as public-private partnerships.

Moderated by ILSR’s Community Broadband Networks Associate Director for Communications Sean Gonsalves, that panel will bring together four experts with deep experience bringing local governments and private ISPs together to expand broadband access:

NEK Broadband Executive Director Christa Shute; Ting CEO and President Elliot Noss; Brian Hollister, Co-Founder and CEO of the Bonfire Infrastructure Group; and Vice President of Business Development with the Vivacity Infrastructure Group, Jessica Fowler.

The third and final panel of the day – “Community Bandwidth: A Town Hall on Public Broadband Challenges & Solutions” – promises to deliver an interactive, town hall-style discussion that invites attendees to shape in conversation with a panel of experts on a wide range of topics affecting public broadband.

Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Community Broadband Action Network Curtis Dean will serve as moderator and he will be joined by ILSR’s Community Broadband Networks Initiative Director Christopher Mitchell; Alex Kelley, Director of Broadband Consulting at the Center for Rural Innovation; Calix Senior Field Marketing Manager working with municipalities, AnnMarie Gordon; and Mathers “Matt” Farr, President of RuCon Consulting & Engineering.

Questions for the last panel can be submitted in advance using this form to help guide the discussion on the challenges and future of public broadband.

Hill Day

The second and final day will be wholly focused on connecting with federal lawmakers.

For that, attendees will first meet at the New America building on 15th St before heading to Capitol Hill where AAPB will help coordinate meetings with key members of Congress and their staff.

Organizers say “Hill Day” will provide attendees an “opportunity to advocate for public broadband and educate federal decision-makers about the importance of community-owned networks.”

For more information or to register for the event visit AAPB’s website here.

Full article is available here. This article was published by the Community Broadband Networks Initiative of the Institute for Local Self Reliance on CommunityNets on May 7, 2025, and was reprinted by Broadband Breakfast with permission.