Community

As I wrote a couple of weeks ago, the availability of broadband in rural areas is critical to economic success. A recent post on Wirecutter.com titled Moving to the Woods Killed My Internet put it this way: The result is that rural communities are seeing an exodus of younger families, partially because these families don’t have the ability to live modern lives in poorly connected towns. The older folks who remain don’t have access to vital services, like telemedicine, or to services that are … [Read more...] about Rural Broadband Follow Up

As most of you know, I’m writing this from a small, rural community in the foothills of the Sierras. Next year, three of our five county supervisors are up for reelection and the debate about how to address the county’s many issues is well underway. One issue that comes up in all of the candidate’s remarks is the lack of widespread broadband service throughout the county. (Broadband is defined by the FCC as connection speeds of at least 25 mb/s download and 3 mb/s upload.) This problem is not … [Read more...] about Who needs the internet?

In November of 2018, I wrote in my newsletter about the Contract For the Web, an initiative started by Sir Tim Berners-Lee and the World Wide Web Foundation. This project is intended to “bring governments, companies and citizens together around a shared set of commitments to build a better web.”With our collective online experience being degraded every day, there is precious little opportunity for ordinary people to speak up for a World Wide Web that meets their needs. This is an opportunity … [Read more...] about What will you commit to?

I’ve had an idea rattling around in my head for a while and now I think it’s time to put it out into the world. As a sole proprietor, I’ve been working for and by myself for a long time now. (At this point in my life I consider myself unemployable.) As much as I enjoy this life and work style, it does have its drawbacks, including the isolation of working from home and general shortage of social and intellectual interactions. In an urban area, I could possibly meet these needs through meetups, … [Read more...] about Coworking Community

Come participate in a live webinar and community strategy session. Update: A replay has been scheduled for April 27th at 10 am. Please visit the Event Page for details and to let us know if you're coming.Learn ways that small towns are connecting their small businesses and would-be entrepreneurs with the support and network they need to be successful and create jobs.Learn about business resource nights, networking events, backroom tours, and online courses you can take together. You’ll … [Read more...] about Rural Jobs Creation Strategies Webinar Event