Join Broadband Mapping Experts and Broadband.money Wednesday Afternoon to Learn from the Best

The Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband Coalition will kick off their 10th Annual AnchorNETS Conference tomorrow, Wednesday, October 12, and the event will run through Friday, October 14. 
AnchorNETS 2022 will host a series of amazing events that will help stakeholders become equipped and informed to better support the communities they serve.
On Wednesday, be sure to tune in to the Broadband Mapping Workshop beginning at 1 p.m. EST. The event is divided into two parts; it will open with some updates on the mapping and challenge process, which will be delivered by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s Telecommunications Policy Specialist with the Office of Internet Connectivity and Growth Nick Alexander. He will be presenting alongside Federal Communications Commission Senior Counsel Kirk Burgee, with the agency’s Broadband Data Task Force.

Following a short networking break after their presentations, a discussion and Q&A will feature heavy hitters in broadband mapping from the industry: 

• Brandon Herndon - Director, Virginia Tech - Center for Geospatial Information Technology
• Kelleigh Cole - Director, Strategic Initiatives - Utah Education & Telehealth Network
• Charlotte Bewersdorff - VP Community Engagement, Merit Network
• Stephanie Jane Edwards - Mapping & Data Lead, Broadband Infrastructure Office, NC Department of Information Technology
• Dustin Loup - Project Manager, National Broadband Mapping Coalition

Each speaker will give a brief presentation before collectively discussing the topics at hand. During his lightning talk, Herndon will share what he finds to be the most pressing takeaways from Virginia’s recent mapping effort. 
Cole will provide a retrospective on lessons learned over the course of the last decade, and how stakeholders can avoid the same pitfalls faced during the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act during the Great Recession. 
Bewersdorff will discuss how local entities can get tangible results. She will share the stories on how various communities have been able to execute on BEAD funding, and the best practices they have used to get favorable outcomes.Edwards will focus on the importance of data, and how stakeholders should leverage data to track problems and come up with solutions.
Dustin Loup will pick up the tail end of the presentations, where he will address how the Broadband Mapping Coalition is working to solve the issues facing communities in the wake of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act’s Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program.

The group will also discuss the Broadband Audit – another tool that communities can use to gain in-depth analyses of the ways their communities are served (or unserved).