The Kansas Office of Broadband Development held its inaugural Kansas Broadband Summit was held in 2023 at the Wichita State University Hughes Metropolitan Complex. There were more than 270 engaged stakeholders and partners registered for the event.
The goal for the day was to provide an opportunity to share engagement strategies and information with key partners regarding BEAD and DE (digital equity) planning efforts. This event provided an opportunity to discuss how the Office of Broadband Development and our partners across the State of Kansas can work together to efficiently and effectively use federal and state funding to achieve the highest level of high-speed internet deployment and adoption.
Experts from National Telecommunications Information Administration, Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, internet service providers, digital equity champions, and State of Kansas joined us for a day of learning, engagement, and networking.
Angela Thi Bennett will serve as the first-ever digital equity director at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), within the US Department of Commerce.
She will move from her current position as DigitalC’s director of advocacy, where she has been a strong champion for digital inclusion in Cleveland. Angela has also been deeply engaged in national digital equity work for years with National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA).
This day will provide an opportunity to share engagement strategies and information to key partners regarding BEAD and DE (digital equity) planning efforts. Connecting Kansas to affordable, reliable, high-speed internet service is critical to the overall success of the state, ensuring the health and well-being of residents and a strong economy.
We will provide space to discuss ways Kansas can work together to efficiently and effectively use allocated dollars to achieve the highest level of high-speed internet deployment and adoption in an equitable manner.
Kansas Broadband Summit
January 19
Wichita State University Metroplex
| Time frame | Event |
|---|---|
| 8:00 a.m.– 9:00 a.m. | Registration and Breakfast |
| 9:00 a.m.– 9:15 a.m. | Welcome: Kansas Perspective + Intro Lowe Auditorium Jade Piros De Carvalho, Director of Kansas Office of Broadband Development This welcome will look at the incredible strides Kansas has made in expanding broadband access throughout the state and the potential for even greater digital equity for our communities with new funding opportunities through BEAD + DE planning. |
| 9:15 a.m.–9:45 a.m. | National Telecommunications and Information Administration Lowe Auditorium Angela Thi Bennett, Digital Equity Director |
| 9:45 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. | Break |
| 10:00 a.m.–10:50 a.m. | From Digital Divide to Digital Equity Lowe Auditorium This session will feature state partners with successes in the digital inclusion space, their recommendations for best practices in rural and urban communities and how others have leveraged their institutions to serve stakeholder broadband needs. Panelists Lazone Grays, President/CEO, IBSA Angela Thi Bennett, Digital Equity Director, NTIA Jeremy Hegle, Community Development Advisor, Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City Ray Walling, Acting State Librarian, Kansas State Library Moderator Kimberlyn Jones, Digital Equity Manager, Office of Broadband |
| 11:00 a.m.–11:05 a.m. 11:05 a.m.–Noon | Gov. Laura Kelly, Remarks Industry Panel- Expectations + Foundation Lowe Auditorium It took 35 years to build the highway system. Hear from an industry panel on what’s reasonable and reliable to accomplish this work. Are we flipping switches? . Panelists: Cory Davis, Director, Division of Multimodal Transportation and Innovation; Kansas Department of Transportation Candace wright, CEO, Blue Valley Technologies James. Jamison, President-Kansas, At&t Moderator: Jade Piros de Carvalho |
| Noon–1:00 p.m. | Lunch + KC Digital Drive Showcase Aaron Deacon, Managing Director, KC Digital Drive Room 180 Since 2012 KC Digital Drive has been on the frontier of digital inclusion and innovation. They will share their strategic pillars and how they intersect with their areas of impact to form a brighter and expanded area of economic opportunity for the communities they serve. |
| 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. | Understanding Kansas Perspectives Lowe Auditorium Claudia Amaro, Executive Director, AB &C Bilingual Resources, LLCTonya Witherspoon, Associate Vice President, Industry Engagement and Applied Learning, Wichita State UniversityScott Sewell, Mainstreet Program Director, Kansas Department of Commerce |
| 2:00 p.m. –2:10 p.m. | Break |
| 2:10 p.m.–3:10 p.m. | Expanding Workforce through Digital Skills Lowe Auditorium Panel session will address topic of expanding entry level digital workforce capacity through GED programs, Regional Workforce Centers, Registered Apprenticeship, and the technical needs in broadband infrastructure. Panelists Laura Ritterbush; President & CEO, Goodwill Industries of Kansas Mike Beene, Employment Services Director, Kansas Department of Commerce Shonda Atwater, Director, Registered Apprentice Program Megan Shearer, VP of Talent and Culture, IdeaTek Scott Smathers, VP Workforce Development Kansas Board of Regents Moderator: Luis Rodriguez, President, KeyCentrix, LLC, Board Member of FlagshipKansas.Tech |
| 3:10 p.m. – 3:20 p.m. | Break |
| 3:20 p.m. to 3:40 p.m. | Better Together Steve Dickie, CharacterWorks Group, Inc. Lowe Auditorium |
| 3:40 p.m.–4:00 p.m. | Moving Forward | Our Ask to You Lowe Auditorium Jade Piros De Carvalho, Director of Kansas Office of Broadband Development |
| 4:10 p.m. -4:20 p.m. | Closing Remarks Lowe Auditorium Lieutenant Governor/Secretary of Commerce David C. Toland |
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