Cities and towns building or expanding locally owned broadband networks can face a complex and confusing legal landscape.

To help local leaders better understand those challenges, the American Association for Public Broadband (AAPB) and the Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR) Community Broadband Networks Initiative are kicking off the new year with another one of their increasingly popular and informative webinars.

The free event, “Navigating the Legal Landscape of Community Broadband” is slated for Tuesday, January 20, from 12 to 1 p.m. ET.

Registration is now open here.

It will feature Sean Stokes and Casey Lide, attorneys with noted law firm Keller & Heckman. They have advised communities across the country on the legal, regulatory, and governance issues associated with community broadband projects.

The session will focus on the most pressing legal considerations facing both communities exploring broadband for the first time and networks that have already been built but are navigating next-stage challenges such as expansion, partnerships, and compliance.

“Too often, communities assume broadband challenges are primarily technical or financial, when in some instances legal and regulatory issues can determine whether a project succeeds or fails,” said Sean Stokes, partner at Keller & Heckman. 

“Our goal is to help communities understand where their legal authority comes from, what risks they should anticipate, and how thoughtful planning early on can prevent costly problems down the road.”

The webinar will cover a range of topics, including state laws that restrict or condition municipal broadband, governance and ownership models, partnerships with independent private Internet service providers, financing and funding compliance, regulatory and operational challenges, and litigation risks communities may face.

The end of the year may be winding down, but the digital equity community is gearing up for one last big Building for Digital Equity (#B4DE) gathering.

“Digital Equity Unwrapped” – a special livestream bringing together advocates and broadband-for-all leaders who spent 2025 pushing for a more connected and inclusive nation – is slated for Wednesday, December 17, beginning at 3 pm ET.

Registration is available here.

Co-hosted by the Institute for Local Self Reliance (ILSR) Community Broadband Networks Initiative and the National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA), the final #B4DE of the year will open with a look ahead at Net Inclusion 2026, coming to Chicago this February.

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A special gift-wrapped part of the #B4DE line-up will feature Kyla Williams Tate, who will share original poetry grounded in digital equity, reminding us that connectivity isn’t just about infrastructure – but about the human networks that do the work.

Then, attention will turn to a major focus of 2025 for digital equity proponents: fighting for affordability. For that, Lindsey Skolnik of the California Alliance for Digital Equity (CADE) will take center screen to discuss California’s push for statewide affordable broadband legislation.

Two city utility managers, an economist, and a fiber technologist walk into a virtual webinar …

And what followed was a deep dive into why delaying investment in smart city infrastructure is increasingly costly.

The hour-long livestream event  – co-hosted by the Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR) Community Broadband Networks initiative and the American Association for Public Broadband (AAPB) – brought together municipal utility managers, an economist, and a leading fiber technologist to explore how cities can future-proof themselves with digital infrastructure.

Guests who appeared on “Building Smarter Cities and the Cost of Doing Nothing” today emphasized how “smart cities” are built on fiber networks and what city investments in the gold-standard of Internet connectivity can do to boost economic development while improving the quality of life for local residents and businesses.

They highlighted the real costs of inaction, pointing to slower economic growth and lost municipal revenue opportunities as something many cities or towns overlook when thinking about local infrastructure.

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The webinar featured Huntsville Utilities VP of Engineering Stacy Cantrell who provided key insights into the public-private partnership Huntsville Utilities struck with Google Fiber and what it has meant to “Rocket City.”

Another virtual case study was provided by Brieana Reed-Harmel, Broadband Manager for Pulse Fiber, discussing how the city’s fiber network is propelling economic revitalization efforts in Loveland and how the success of the network is now being extended into neighboring communities.

Once again, the Community Broadband Networks team at the Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR) will team up with the American Association for Public Broadband (AAPB) to host another thought-provoking webinar – “Building Smarter Cities and the Cost of Doing Nothing.”

Moderated by AAPB Executive Director Gigi Sohn and ILSR’s Sean Gonsalves, the livestreamed discussion will bring together community-driven broadband champions who are redefining what it means to be a “smart city” — and what communities risk when they fail to invest in modern connectivity.

Slated for November 20th starting at 12 noon ET, interested attendees for the free 60 minute webinar are invited to register now here.

From Huntsville’s groundbreaking public–private partnership with Google Fiber to Loveland’s city-owned-and-operated Pulse Fiber, network operators in those communities will share real-world lessons on how they were able to turn infrastructure into opportunity. 

The livestreamed webinar will feature Stacy Cantrell, Vice President Engineering for Huntsville Utilities; Brieana Reed-Harmel, Broadband Manager for Pulse Fiber; and will also include expert insights from Dr. Bento Lobo (University of Tennessee at Chattanooga) who will unpack the economic data behind smart city investments, while Paul Dickinson (Founder of Smart Infrastructure Solutions) will offer a glimpse into the next generation of intelligent infrastructure.

As the panel dives into the why and how communities are transforming their local digital landscapes, the forum will explore the technologies, policies, and partnerships powering the cities of tomorrow — and why doing nothing is the most expensive choice of all.

Yesterday, the third Building for Digital Equity livestream of the year brought together policy experts and frontline workers to explore how community-driven connectivity solutions are inextricably tied to building local trust.

If you missed it, the entirety of the hour and 15 minute event can be viewed here.

Hosted by ILSR’s Community Broadband Networks initiative and the National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA), this week’s B4DE served as an unofficial kick-off to Digital Inclusion Week and the variety of events that will mark the occasion in communities across the country.

With each B4DE guest focused on various aspects of the theme, “Moving At The Speed Of Trust,” the event provided attendees a jolt of hope and optimism, even as the world of digital equity has been upended by the demise of the federal Affordable Connectivity Program, the sudden termination of the Digital Equity Act, and numerous other Trump administration policy shifts that will make it harder to bridge the digital divide.

From the demise of the Affordable Connectivity Program and the sudden termination of the Digital Equity Act to the drastic revamping of the BEAD Internet infrastructure program and the myriad ways trust in governmental institutions has been eroded, digital inclusion advocates will not want to miss the next Building for Digital Equity (B4DE) livestream.

Slated for October 1 at 3 pm EST, the next B4DE virtual gathering will speak to the moment by focusing on a fundamental formula Internet access warriors cannot afford to overlook as they face down the forces actively working to undermine efforts to bridge the digital divide.

Co-hosted by ILSR’s Community Broadband Networks Initiative and the National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA), the next B4DE will spotlight local strategies for digital equity and explore why it’s necessary for frontline digital inclusion practitioners to be “Moving at the Speed of Trust.”

Register for the free event here.

The second installment in the ongoing Community Broadband Film Series spotlights  “Rocketeers: The UTOPIA Fiber Story” – an eye-opening documentary that tells the story of how a publicly-owned fiber network has ignited local Internet choice and competition across dozens of cities, delivering connectivity at the speed of light.

Hosted by ILSR’s Community Broadband Networks Initiative and the American Association for Public Broadband (AAPB), the screening will be streamed to a live audience on September 3 at 4pm ET.

Register now for the virtual event here.

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The event  will begin with a screening of the 24-minute film and then treat attendees to a live Red Carpet discussion with UTOPIA Fiber CEO Roger Timmerman and key leaders of two communities that are now part of the fast growing UTOPIA network – Sid Boswell, CEO of Yellowstone Fiber in Bozeman, Montana; and Bountiful, Utah Councilmember Kate Bradshaw.

The discussion will be moderated by AAPB Executive Director Gigi Sohn and ILSR’s own Sean Gonsalves, the Community Broadband Network team’s Associate Director for Communications.

On the virtual red carpet, the special guests will dive into UTOPIA Fiber's open-access journey and the network of people bringing future-proof connectivity and local Internet choice to thousands of homes and businesses.

Bring your popcorn and join us for another exciting showcase of how local communities are seizing control of their digital futures.

On September 10th, in New Prague, the Minnesota Public Broadband Alliance (MPBA) will be hosting an in-person event with speakers aimed at community leaders and residents working to expand Internet access to unserved and underserved homes.

At the moment, featured speakers include:

• Gigi Sohn (American Association for Public Broadband)
• Christopher Mitchell (Director, Community Broadband Networks, Institute for Local Self-Reliance)
• Bree Maki (Director, Minnesota Office of Broadband Development)

On the docket for conversation and questions includes where cities, providers, nonprofits, and other entities fit into the current landscape with respect to the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Act (BEAD), other funding opportunities, and a host of other topics aimed at expanding access to infrastructure.

The MPBA is a coalition of towns, cities, and counties in Minnesota working to drive smart public investment towards broadband infrastructure.

The in-person event is free, but registration is required. Register here.

*The following story by Broadband Breakfast Reporter Jennifer Michel was originally published here.

From August 18-21, the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians will host a four-day Tribal Broadband Bootcamp on the Tribe's Marquette campus in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.

The Bootcamp aims to equip Tribal Nations with the skills to build, manage, and expand their own broadband networks. It will be the second held in the Great Lakes region, designed primarily for members of 36 federally recognized Tribes across Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota.

The first Tribal Broadband Bootcamp took place in California in 2021, organized by Matthew Rantanen and Christopher Mitchell, co-founders of the broadband advocacy group Waskawiwin, who hoped to build and encourage nontraditional broadband networks.

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Seventeen bootcamps have occurred since 2021, each with an agenda adjusted to the experiences and interests of hosting Tribes. Overall, the training program has hosted more than 400 participants from more than 70 Tribal Nations across the United States and Canada.

The training program, led by Rantanen and Mitchell, will unite tribal technology staff, community leaders, and broadband advocates for hands-on instruction in network design, deployment and management.

According to Mitchell, the goal of the Bootcamp “is to connect people working in Indian Country on Internet access to build skills and share knowledge on how to make sure everyone is well connected.”

If you missed our Building for Digital Equity “Wired for Freedom” Livestream, you can watch it in its entirety on YouTube.

Earlier this week, the second UTOPIA Fiber-sponsored event of the year, hosted in partnership with the National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA), brought together community-based digital inclusion practitioners and policy experts to talk about the road ahead for expanding broadband access amid a rapidly shifting political landscape.

After a blues-infused beginning with Sky Downing of digitalLIFT, NDIA’s policy director Amy Huffman provided attendees with an update on the long court battle over the constitutionality of the FCC’s Universal Services Fund.

The recent Supreme Court ruling, Huffman explained, ruled that the program – which supports connectivity for rural communities, schools, and libraries – was indeed constitutional. In what Huffman described as “good news,” she also said it would give Congress a chance to reform USF without having to do so as “a ticking time,” giving lawmakers and advocates a chance to “put together a thoughtful framework and path forward to ensure that the fund not only continues but is modernized.”

In the lightning round presentations, Sara Nichols from the Land of Sky Regional Council in western North Carolina spoke of the work her planning agency has been involved with working toward building resilient connectivity in the wake of Hurricane Helene followed by Kaala Souza, executive director of Digital Ready Hawaii, who discussed how digital literacy was rooted in the local culture’s emphasis on literacy dating that dates back before the dawn of the computer age.