As 2024 comes to a close, I'm writing to thank you for your interest in and support of public broadband. 2025 will be a critical time for the growth of community-owned networks, and the American Association for Public Broadband is dedicated to ensuring that those communities have the support they need to thrive. So I'm also asking you, if you have not already, to join AAPB today or consider donating to support our work.
AAPB's mission is simple - to promote, defend and ensure fair state and federal funding for publicly owned networks. In the 16 months since I became Executive Director, that time we’ve already made progress. During that time, AAPB has
Helped to defeat dark money campaigns opposing community broadband networks and funding for them in Utah, Massachusetts, Michigan, Kentucky, California and New York;
Published “Own Your Internet: How to Build a Public Broadband Network,” a handbook for cities and towns seeking to build their own networks;
Produced three webinars and a mini-conference at the Broadband Communities conference in May that discussed various aspects of building, financing and operating public networks;
Led a coalition that successfully advocated for NTIA to provide alternatives to its requirement that each applicant for its Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program provide a letter of credit equal to 25% of the award amount. NTIA adopted four alternatives that will provide greater flexibility to small, minority and female owned and public-owned networks;
Traveled to Oklahoma, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Washington State, Arizona, Texas and California to promote public broadband, including in 9 keynote speeches and numerous conference panels;
Appeared in dozens of news articles about the growth of public broadband, the dark money attacks and issues like BEAD funding and the Affordable Connectivity Program; and
Launched a mentorship program that will pair those communities that are considering broadband network ownership with cities and towns that have successfully built public networks.
The importance of having an advocacy organization that promotes and defends local community choice cannot be overstated. Just last month, an organization that receives significant funding from big cable and broadband companies published a paper that makes specious claims about public broadband networks' viability and so-called “advantages” over the private sector. AAPB immediately published a strong statement and pointed social media posts. Every platform that reported on the paper sought AAPB’s response and quoted the statement extensively. When AAPB talks, policymakers, the press and the public listen.
In the coming year, among other things, we plan to partner with like-minded organizations to bring our members and the public more publications and programming focused on both policy and the nuts and bolts of building and funding public networks. This includes an in-person conference and meetings with members of Congress, key policymakers and their staffs in the spring. We will continue to advocate for a BEAD process that treats public broadband networks fairly. And we will provide technical and other assistance to those communities that aren't eligible for BEAD funding but want the benefit of everything that robust broadband enables. But we can only do that with your financial support.
As always, we'd love your feedback on what more AAPB can be doing to promote and defend community broadband. And please, urge others to join as well!
Wishing you the best for a joyous and relaxing holiday season. Gigi
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