NATOA Announces Recipients of 2021 Community Broadband and Digital Equity Awards
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – September 9, 2021 – The National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors (NATOA) today announced the recipients of NATOA’s 2021 Community Broadband and Digital Equity Awards, recognizing innovative programs in government, business and local communities nationwide. Recipients will be recognized at NATOA’s 2021 Annual Conference, to be held in virtually September 21 – 23.
“The COVID crisis has demonstrated how critical local governments are to providing access to our most vulnerable communities whether it be building infrastructure in underserved neighborhoods, distributing devices to support distance learning or training isolated seniors,” noted NATOA President Brian Roberts. “The innovative and essential projects we are recognizing show how communities are stepping in to advance digital equity and fill broadband connectivity gaps.”
The 2021 Community Broadband & Digital Equity Award recipients are:
- Community Broadband Project of the Year: City of Anacortes, WA – Leverage of Water/Wastewater Utility “Pipe-in-Pipe” Fiber Program to Develop Municipal ISP
- Digital Equity Project of the Year: City of Boston, MA – Digital Equity & Inclusion Programs
- COVID-19 Response Digital Equity Project of the Year – Seniors Support: Community Tech Network (CTN), Home Connect and Train-the-Trainer Program
- COVID-19 Response Digital Equity Project of the Year – Distance Learning: Thompson School District’s Expansion of Pulse Municipal FTTP Network
The 2021 Community Broadband & Digital Equity Honorable Mentions are:
- Senior Planet Montgomery, MD Home Edition
- Digital Marin Project’s Deployment of WiFi Network in Canal Neighborhood in the City of San Rafael
For more information about the awards program and upcoming conference can be found here.