NGN Partners with Broadband Communities Magazine for the 2017 Economic Development Conference in Atlanta November 7 – 9

Conference Builds on Conversations from Last Year’s Georgia Gigabit Communities Summit

Clarkesville, Ga. – October 17, 2017 – NGN, a member-owned cooperative operating over 1,600 miles of fiber optic infrastructure in Georgia, is proud to announce its sponsorship of the upcoming Broadband Communities Magazine 2017 Economic Development Conference taking place November 7 – 9 in Atlanta. Last year, NGN’s Georgia Gigabit Communities Summit was an important launching point for many community leaders to understand how to leverage their gigabit asset to promote economic development. This year, NGN has combined its efforts with Broadband Communities Magazine to bring the organization’s 3-day conference to the region, where it will host a wide range of local and national experts offering in-depth topical sessions.

Those who attended last year’s Georgia Gigabit Communities Summit as well as any community leaders interested in how gigabit connectivity can spur economic growth are strongly encouraged to attend. The conference will include sessions on financial and marketing topics – leaving attendees with the tools they need to execute economic growth plans in their own communities. A full conference agenda can be found here.

The event features an outstanding multi-disciplinary roster of national, regional and local experts, practitioners and community leaders who have highly relevant, first-hand experience with broadband. Emphasizing, but not limiting themselves to the Southeast region, speakers will provide a wealth of economic research, case histories highlighting what is working well and what is not, and practical, how-to materials that attendees can take home and put to immediate use in their communities.

Georgia State Senator Steve Gooch will be one of the distinguished panelists, offering legal updates during a session entitled “State Legislative Efforts to Solve Rural Broadband Issues.” Members of NGN and Blue Ridge Mountain EMC will also be lending their expertise on the following panels:

• Michael Foor – Vice President of Market and Member Services, NGN: “You’ve Got It, Now Sell It: Marketing Your Broadband Community”
• David Little – Vice President of Network Operations, NGN: “Fiber vs. 5G vs. TV White Spaces: What’s the Real Answer for Rural Areas?”
• Charlie Auvermann – Chairman of the Board, NGN Connect: “All Pros, No Cons: Learn Best Techniques for Broadband and Economic Development Professionals Working Together”
• Jeremy Nelms, P.E. – General Manager, Blue Ridge Mountain EMC: “Partners on the Road to Rural Broadband… Continued”
• Erik Brinke – Director of Economic Development, Blue Ridge Mountain EMC: “Electric Cooperatives: Broadband Leads the Way to Economic Development”

“Since our inception in 2007, when counties and core anchor institutions in North Georgia first teamed up to boost the region’s economic development through high-speed infrastructure, our goal has been to help rural communities access Internet speeds that rival the fastest in the world and then leverage this asset to their benefit,” says Paul Belk, President & CEO, NGN. “As part of NGN’s Georgia Gigabit Communities initiative and in partnership with the Fiber Network Owners Alliance (FNA), we welcome the Broadband Communities Economic Development Conference to Georgia and look forward to hearing from experts from around the country as they discuss how to make better broadband a reality for rural America.”

 

2017 Economic Development Conference Details:

WHEN: November 7 – 9, 2017

WHERE: Renaissance Concourse Atlanta Airport Hotel

WHO SHOULD ATTEND: For a full list, visit www.bbcmag.com/atlanta/who-should-attend

For more information and to register, visit www.bbcmag.com/atlanta.