At the federal level, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Department of Commerce (DOC), and the United Stated Department of Agriculture (USDA) have all launched programs and initiatives to close the Digital Divide in America. States, municipalities, cooperatives, tribal communities, and investor owned utilities (IOUs) are all investing to expand broadband infrastructure and services to their communities.

Investing in broadband infrastructure is expensive and configuring business models that result in affordable services is complex. Attend EUCI’s online course, Funding Broadband for Utilities, to tap into the latest funding programs & initiatives and hear best practices & lessons learned.

Learning Outcomes

This course will provide attendees an opportunity to:

• Identify broadband infrastructure needs
• Get an update on federal, state and private financial services
• Evaluate public-private-partnership opportunities
• Hear best practices for structuring rural broadband
• Gauge wholesale VS retail strategies
• Budget for unforeseen obstacles
• Expand telehealth, virtual schooling, and e-commerce
• Enable a competitive market and affordability for their customers
• Understand the nuances for each asset owner
• Save on broadband project development

Credits

EUCI has been accredited as an Authorized Provider by the International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET).  In obtaining this accreditation, EUCI has demonstrated that it  complies with the ANSI/IACET Standard which is recognized internationally as a standard of good practice. As a result of their Authorized Provider status, EUCI is authorized to offer IACET CEUs for its programs that qualify under the ANSI/IACET Standard.

EUCI is authorized by IACET to offer 0.6 CEUs for this event.

 

Requirements for Successful Completion of Program

Participants must sign in and be in attendance for the entirety of the course to be eligible for continuing education credit.

Instructional Methods

PowerPoint presentations and panel discussions will be used in the program.

Who Should Attend

• Federal Agencies
• State Agencies
• Independent Owned Utilities (IOU)
• Municipal Utilities (Muni)
• Cooperatives (Coop)
• Tribal Government Representatives
• Telecommunication Companies (Telcoms)
• Private Financial Service Providers, Capital Investors
• Engineers, Procurement, Construction Firms (EPC)
• Consultants

Tuesday, January 28, 2021 : Central Time

8:45 – 9:00 a.m. :: Log In and Welcome

9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. :: Course Timing

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9:00 – 10:00 a.m. :: Keynote Address: Identifying National Broadband Infrastructure Needs

• Status update on broadband coverage gaps and the Digital Opportunity Data Collection
• Easing infrastructure burdens and review of the latest Wireless Infrastructure Report and Order
• Broadband Deployment Advisory Committee strategies and recommendations
• Impact of the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund

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10:00 – 11:00 a.m. :: Broadband Infrastructure Funding Initiatives

• Status and update on the ReConnect Loan and Grant Program
  • 100% loan VS combo VS 100% grant proceedings
  • How much funding is still available
  • How the funds result in expanded broadband access & services

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11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. :: State Funding Initiatives for Broadband Development

• Demonstration of funding last-mile broadband fiber access
  • Funding for-profit internet service providers (ISP)
  • Funding non-profit cooperative utilities

12:00 – 1:15 p.m. :: Lunch Break

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1:15 – 2:00 p.m. :: Private Financial Services for Broadband Capital Projects

• Open-access network models and market insight
• Assessing the value of broadband infrastructure
• Raising capital to own open-access fiber
• Securing alternative funding to fill funding gaps
• Enabling competition for greater services in your community

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2:00 – 2:45 p.m. :: Structuring Rural Broadband

• Wholesale VS retail strategies for expanding broadband service
• Latest concepts for open broadband delivery
• Understanding the nuances for each asset owner
• Impacts of local government on broadband investment
• How to save on infrastructure development
• Fiber VS wireless services
• Budgeting for unforeseen obstacles
• Dig Once Initiative

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2:45 – 3:30 p.m. :: Case Study: Leveraging the IOU Landscape to Fund Broadband

• Impacts of legislation on IOU fiber and smart grid initiatives
• Overview of Dominion pilot project
  • How to fund broadband backbone infrastructure
  • Partnering with ISPs to serve underserved communities
  • Dual use fiber: enhancing your smart grid while leasing mid-mile fiber
  • Offsetting development costs with lease revenue
  • Rate-based strategies for customer affordability

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3:30 – 4:15 p.m. :: Case Study: Expanding High-Speed Options & Services for Your Community

• Expanding options for affordability
• Providing high-speed services for telehealth & virtual schooling
• Innovative financing:
  • Acquiring USDA funds
  • Interagency funding partnerships

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4:15 – 5:00 p.m. :: Case Study: Public-Private-Partnerships (PPP) for Municipal & Cooperative Broadband Development

• Overview of Public-Private-Partnership models
• Example of Lyndon Township, a rural municipality that funded construction of a fiber network with a property tax, and partnered with an electric coop to operate it
• Legal considerations for Public-Private-Partnerships
• A specific model for post-RDOF Public-Private-Partnerships

Jeff Casey, Strategy & Consulting Manager, Burns & McDonnell (EPC)

Ed Diggs, Rural Broadband Program Manager, Dominion Energy Virginia (IOU rep.)

Ben Fineman, President, Michigan Broadband Cooperative (Coop rep.)

Stephen Gould, Grants Specialist, Colorado DORA – The Broadband Fund

Laurel Leverrier, Deputy Assistant Administrator, RUS Telecommunications Programs, USDA Rural Development (Federal rep.)

John Taylor, Chairman of the Board, Traverse City Light and Power; Deputy Director, The Consortium for Energy Efficiency (Muni rep.)

We will be using Microsoft Teams to facilitate your participation in the upcoming event. You do not need to have an existing Teams account in order to participate in the broadcast – the course will play in your browser and you will have the option of using a microphone to speak with the room and ask questions, or type any questions in via the chat window and our on-site representative will relay your question to the instructor.

You will receive a meeting invitation will include a link to join the meeting.

Separate meeting invitations will be sent for the morning and afternoon sessions of the course.

You will need to join the appropriate meeting at the appropriate time.

If you are using a microphone, please ensure that it is muted until such time as you need to ask a question.

The remote meeting connection will be open approximately 30 minutes before the start of the course. We encourage you to connect as early as possible in case you experience any unforeseen problems.

Please Note: This event is being conducted entirely online. All attendees will connect and attend from their computer, one connection per purchase. For details please see our FAQ

If you are unable to attend at the scheduled date and time, we make recordings available to all registrants for three business days after the event

Event	Standard Rate	Attendees
Single Connection - Funding Broadband for Utilities	US $ 795.00
Pack of 5 connections	US $ 3,180.00
Pack of 10 Connections	US $ 5,565.00
Pack of 20 Connections	US $ 9,540.00
Call us at 303.770.8800 if you have any specific questions on the volume discounts
* all other discounts do not apply to license packs
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