The call has gone out— Botetourt County is in the market to be a leader among rural communities to implement advanced, affordable, high-capacity Internet service for all its residents and businesses.
The effort to be that leader comes from the Botetourt Broadband Commission that was established earlier this year and is planning and staging a broadband summit that will be held September 25 and 26 at Greenfield Education and Training Center in Daleville.
Named The Rural Broadband Technology Solutions Summit, the Tuesday and Wednesday event is planned to attract all kinds of Internet and communications carriers and vendors. There will be seminars related to broadband, a chance for companies to discus partnering, and discussions about providing affordable solutions to the growing call for high-speed Internet service in rural areas.
In a “who should be here” list, the Botetourt Broadband Commission notes the summit is for telecommunications carriers, client and app developers, infrastructure vendors, IoT device vendors, infrastructure integrators, testing houses, roaming hub and partners, wearable providers, hardware manufactures, interconnect players, device and chipset manufacturers, system vendors, consultants, network integrators, hub providers, mobile operators, cable operators, virtual operators, integrated operators, wi-fi network operators, etc.
According to the Broadband Commission, there are a number of reasons those in the industry and the public should attend.
The two-day summit will provide those attending to hear from industry experts, network, meet with local leaders, see the latest innovations, evaluate infrastructure offerings, exchange ideas, connect with industry players, consult industry authorities, test logistical challenges, learn about new applications and overcome red tape.
The Broadband Commission considers the summit a “history making” endeavor that members hope will lead to a faster track for expanding the broadband through Botetourt and develop a blueprint for other rural communities.
“This means that every aspect, technology, methodology and resource as it applies to broadband for the benefit of residents and businesses in the county is up for discussion and consideration,” the summit website says. “With over 3,000 counties nationwide, there will be thousands of eyes and minds trained toward this BoCo Summit.”
The website also notes, “Botetourt County, founded in 1770, is older than our nation with a rich history. We aim to forge ahead.”
A preliminary schedule has the summit kick off from 4 -6:30 p.m. on September 25 with a program: “The State of Broadband in Botetourt County: Today, Tomorrow, and what Botetourt offers to those who build it.”
That’s followed by “Tech Talk: Advanced technologies and methodologies effecting Rural Broadband build-out now and in the near future. “
“Reviews and Reveals: Advancements & Innovation in Equipment, Software, Architecture, Network & Engineering Specifications, Construction Techniques, Case Studies” follow, with all relating to the physical achievement of the objective to expand broadband in Botetourt.
BoCo Broadband and Brews is from 6:30-8 p.m. with dinner and networking with sponsors, speakers, Industry experts, special guests and Botetourt County officials. Cousine and craft brews of Virginia will be featured.
On September 26, the summit continues with “Table Top Tech Expo” at GETC to show the latest technology.
The morning sessions include panel discussions, a summit keynote by a special surprise guest, and 20-minute speaker sessions.
Afternoon sessions continue with round tables and breakout discussions. That’s followed by Botetourt Broadband Commission: Awards to students and participants, and a panel discussion and summit wrap-up.
The Broadband Commission is accepting applications for speaker presentations, discussion panel, round table topics and facilitation and papers for summit publication.
Registration and other information is available at the BoCo Summit website at http://www.bocosummit.com.
