Digital Equity Unwrapped: End of Year Reflections/The New Year Ahead is just a week away, as seats are filling up fast for next Tuesday’s Building for Digital Equity (#B4DE) event.

The popular (and free) virtual gathering – slated for December 12, 2023 from 3 to 4:15 pm ET – will highlight important milestones in broadband over the past year and take a look ahead for what promises to be another busy year for digital inclusion practitioners across the country.

There’s still time to register for the event 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 serve up practical insights on everything from Digital Equity Act planning to how communities are confronting digital discrimination.

The event will be sparked by lightning round presentations featuring Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) Administrator for Chicanos Por La Causa (CPLC) Nubia Estrada and OCA Asian Pacific American Advocates Policy & Organizing Manager Eric Kim. Each will give a concise overview of their outreach work with “covered populations.” 

NDIA will also be making an exciting announcement about this year’s Trailblazer Awards with a special guest appearance by Rebecca Kauma, LA County’s Director of Digital Equity, who will speak to the role local governments can and should play in digital inclusion work.

Digital Navigator Ashley Smith with Shaping Our Appalachian Region (SOAR) will share what her organization is seeing on the ground in a part of the country where there is an unprecedented focus on addressing the connectivity needs of rural communities in the Appalachian region.

Then, to set the table for the keynote address, there will be a roundtable discussion on the FCC’s new anti-digital discrimination rules before #OaklandUndivided Director Patrick Messac takes center screen to explore the work his organization is doing in Oakland, CA, offering insights on the importance of infrastructure investments and mapping to close the digital divide in cities across the nation.

As with the previous #B4DE events, the December live stream will once again be sponsored by UTOPIA Fiber and co-hosted by NDIA’s Pamela Rosales and ILSR’s Community Broadband Networks Initiative Director Christopher Mitchell.

Don't miss out on this exciting opportunity to learn, connect, and make a difference as digital equity advocates across the nation are leveraging historic federal investments in the expansion of broadband access and adoption.

The livestream will be available (and later archived) on Facebook, YouTube, X (formerly Twitter), and LinkedIn, with live viewer questions answered by the invited speakers and presenters. We recommend viewing it on YouTube where the live chat will be most engaging. Other questions can be submitted using the #B4DE hashtag on X.