Arizona Broadband Workshops
As part of Arizona’s continued prioritization of broadband initiatives to enhance rural connectivity, the Arizona Commerce Authority is proud to announce a new partnership with BroadbandUSA, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and Economic Development Administration (EDA) to launch a new webinar series — the Arizona Broadband Workshops.
Sessions will be offered on the first Wednesday of every month from 10 am to 12 pm, March through July. Through interactive exercises and discussions, city officials, economic developers and business leaders who attend will be connected with resources to build a roadmap for planning projects, including identifying funding opportunities and service providers.
Webinar Recordings
Broadband 101 – Broadband as a Foundation to Economic Development
Experts from the Governor's Office on Tribal Relations, BroadbandUSA and local experts help identify the priorities that impact broadband in various communities. Learn the different broadband terms, networks and speeds. Plus, hear from local community members discuss how broadband transforms education, healthcare, agriculture and the economy.
Creating Broadband Action Teams and Building Local Partnerships
Arizona has worked with public and private partners to coordinate broadband planning across the state. Learn how to create a roadmap for your community’s broadband projects as you build a framework for community priorities, stakeholder engagement, asset inventories and more.
Using Data as a Foundation for Your Broadband Plan
Open public data is readily available to jumpstart your broadband planning efforts. The key is understanding how to use the data effectively to tell your community story. Experts from BroadbandUSA review the three main broadband data sets and demonstrate tools you can use to access the data for planning, business cases, partnership development, and grant applications.
Federal Resources and Local Support for Broadband
Broadband projects often require a mix of investment sources. Learn about Federal, State, local, and philanthropic programs available to support broadband infrastructure and digital inclusion programs from a panel of experts.
Tribal Broadband
Arizona is prioritizing critical broadband projects in underserved tribal locations across the state. In this session, Kristine FireThunder, director of the Governor's Office on Tribal Relations, facilitated a discussion on strategies to build tribally owned networks and further support tribal learning centers and digital training, including information on available financing and funding, community resources and more.
Broadband Adoption and Use - The Secret to Sustainable Networks
This session will draw from national and local models to explore new ways to bridge the digital divide and dive deep into digital skills training, Wi-Fi hotspots, broadband subsidies and tech mentoring. Practitioners in education, nonprofits and more will facilitate exercises to identify your community’s underserved segments and partners to reach those populations.
American Rescue Plan Funding Opportunity
The Arizona Commerce Authority (ACA), in partnership with the Economic Development Administration (EDA), hosted an Arizona Broadband Technical Assistance webinar focused on funding available through six American Rescue Plan Notices of Funding Opportunity (NOFOs). Learn how these grants can be applied to transformational broadband investments and other foundational infrastructure projects.