Nebraska Broadband Initiative Seeks Outstanding Community Projects

June 15, 2015

Lincoln, Neb. — The Nebraska Broadband Initiative is accepting nominations for outstanding community broadband projects through Aug. 14. Projects will be recognized in three categories:

• Outstanding Infrastructure Development Project. This award recognizes communities that have successfully partnered with a broadband provider to improve broadband availability.
• Outstanding Digital Literacy Project. This award recognizes communities for their efforts to improve digital literacy.
• Outstanding Youth Project. This award recognizes projects engaging youth in activities that support information technology development. 

Awards will be presented at the Rural Futures Conference in Lincoln on Oct. 21. Application materials can be found at http://unlcms.unl.edu/ianr/extension/nebraska-broadband/broadband-awards.

Partners in the Nebraska Broadband Initiative have also developed a set of resources to help communities address broadband-related development. "Leveraging Broadband in Your Community:  A Workbook to Help Communities Stimulate Broadband Development" provides an overview of broadband development and lays out a process for developing a community broadband plan. The interactive workbook includes video clips of Nebraskans talking about the importance of broadband in their businesses and communities. The workbook and additional resources can be found at http://broadband.nebraska.gov.

Nebraska Broadband Initiative partners will be available to meet with community members and answer questions. If you are interested in learning more about the workbook or working with members of the initiative, please contact Anne Byers at anne.byers@nebraska.gov or 402-471-3805; Charlotte Narjes at cnarjes1@unl.edu or 402-472-1724; or Connie Hancock at chancock1@unl.edu or 308-254-4455.

The Nebraska Broadband Initiative promotes the adoption and utilization of broadband in Nebraska.  Project partners include the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Nebraska Public Service Commission, Nebraska Information Technology Commission, Nebraska Department of Economic Development, and AIM.