This August 14, 2023 Lunch-n-Learn session highlighted ways to engage the community in your local broadband planning, as well as relevant tools. Use the provided worksheet with your planning team to determine your goals for community engagement.
There is a strong positive relationship between internet access and economic growth and development. Studies that focus on more rural areas within the U.S. find that access to broadband is important in attracting new businesses, fostering entrepreneurship, enhancing farm profits, and even increasing the value of rural housing. It is clear that access to the internet and broadband in particular is no longer a luxury, but a necessary condition for regional economic growth and development. This article outlines the need for and the benefits of broadband.
The reasons why broadband service has not reached all regions of the state and country are varied and complicated. Population density or rurality, infrastructure expense, data limitations, and legal structures all play a part, depending on the location. This article covers some explanations of why access remains low in some areas and among some populations.
This article defines broadband, types of broadband infrastructure, technology and speed, internet for all (digital equity), and spells out organizational acronyms you may run across while learning about broadband.
Having your broadband planning committee identify broadband and digital equity goals is an important part of the broadband planning process. Here is a guide to identifying your vision and goals.
Building a strong broadband team is an important first step in your community’s broadband efforts. This part of the toolkit provides tips, processes, and actionable steps you can take to move your community’s broadband efforts forward.
This August 7, 2023 Lunch-n-Learn session highlighted data your community may need to collect and review for your broadband planning efforts.
Improving energy efficiency and generating renewable energy on the farm can significantly reduce energy expenses over the long term. Thanks to new and expanded funding, agricultural producers can now significantly reduce the upfront cost for clean energy projects on their farms. This article introduces three programs to fund renewable energy systems (RES) and energy efficiency improvements (EEI): Rural Energy for America Program (REAP); Focus on Energy; and Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE).
On this Clean Energy Funding Webinar you will learn from our expert panel about the various paths to obtain federal funding for your home energy improvements statewide and when they might be available, state funding for energy efficiency and renewable energy that can help fund and supplement federal rebates, and about electrification options, especially heat pumps.
Build a strong broadband team – learn tips and processes from Extension community building experts during this interactive workshop. This webinar provides tips, processes, and actionable steps you can take to move your community’s broadband efforts forward. You will learn and practice tools to: Develop and convene your core project team. Identify and engage community stakeholders. Draft a regional broadband vision and goals. Identify key barriers and opportunities related to “Internet for All”.
This webinar highlights several rural workforce challenges and the role that university extension can play in addressing these challenges. It also introduces the Future Opportunities for Rural Workforce and Rural Development (FORWARD) curriculum designed by the North Central Regional Center for Rural Development (NCRCRD) at Purdue University and the Association of Public and Land Grant Universities (APLU)—a curriculum intended to support extension professionals in their efforts address some of these rural workforce challenges. The webinar gives particular focus on how labor market information (LMI) and other types of socio-economic data can be more effectively woven into rural workforce planning efforts.
In this webinar you will learn about the seven Justice40 investment areas, what is required to fulfill Justice40 requirements, how to prepare to address it, tools to use, and resources to assist you.
