Information Institute Announces July 31 2014 for Panhandle Florida Broadband Summit Meeting
RURAL FLORIDA PANHANDLE BROADBAND SUMMIT
The Florida State University Information Institute (http://www.ii.fsu.edu/ ) will hold a rural Florida Broadband Summit meeting on July 31, 2014 at Chipola College at the School of Business and Technology Building, Room M108, in Marianna from 12:00 pm to 4:30 pm CENTRAL TIME (parking available next to/near the building). The project (http://www.ii.fsu.edu/Research/Projects/2014-Project-Details/IMLS-Abstract) is a collaboration with the Panhandle Library Access Network (http://www.plan.lib.fl.us/ ) and Opportunity Florida (http://www.opportunityflorida.com/). The summit meeting is part of a U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) grant awarded to the Information Institute and has a focus on the counties of Calhoun, Franklin, Gadsden, Gulf, Holmes, Jackson, Liberty, Wakulla, and Washington.
The Broadband Summit has the overall purpose of identifying strategies for public libraries and other community anchor institutions to improve access to and use of Internet Broadband for economic development and improved quality of life. More specifically, the Summit will:
(a) identify issues and concerns that affect the access to and deployment and use of Broadband Internet; and
(b) review and discuss a range of education and instruction strategies to advance the adoption and use of broadband in this nine county region.
The Summit will provide input and suggestions that the Information Institute and other collaborators may use to submit a formal proposal to the U.S. IMLS in the fall of 2014 to extend and better use Broadband Internet in the Panhandle region.
The schedule for the meeting is:
Noon Marcia Mardis, Project Co-Principal Investigator: Welcome, background, introductions, and plan for the day
12:30 Lunch and Preliminary Survey Findings
1:00 Jim Brook, Director, Opportunity Florida: Keynote address "Realizing the Promise of Broadband Internet in the Florida Panhandle"
1:45 Small Group Discussions
2:45 Break and Snacks
3:00 Small Group Discussion Reports
4:00 Marcia Mardis: Summary of Small Group Discussion, Recommendations and Next Steps
4:30 Adjourn
The Broadband Summit will increase cooperation and planning among participants for better access to and use of Internet Broadband, develop suggestions for future education and training in access to and use of Internet Broadband, share experiences and knowledge about Broadband access and use in the region; and clarify issues and concerns related to successful deployment and use of Internet Broadband in these counties.
For more information about the Summit and to reserve lunch/attendance, contact Marcia Mardis, project Co-Principal Investigator at: Marcia.mardis@cci.fsu.edu or Laura Spears, Research Coordinator at: lspears41@gmail.com.