The Georgia Municipal Association held its sixth annual Georgia Broadband Summit in Warner Robins on Sept. 30. The summit brought together community leaders, policymakers, internet service providers (ISPs), and state and federal partners to tackle one of Georgia’s most critical challenges — bridging the digital divide through expanded broadband access.
This year, the summit panelists included experts from the Georgia Technology Authority (GTA), Next Generation 911, the Georgia Geospatial Imagery Office, ISPs, and other key organizations. These experts joined together to highlight the importance of broadband access for all Georgians, explain its imminent statewide rollout, and answer questions from local leaders.
GMA CEO Larry Hanson highlighted GMA’s goals to bring awareness to resources for Georgia cities to combat the ongoing challenges that often halt successful broadband rollout. “It’s great when GMA can serve as a convener, and bring people together, because we know our state still has broadband challenges,” said Hanson. “Part of what we do is help cities get access to information and resources so that they can help meet those gaps and get access, so they can have broadband.”
Expansion of Resources for Georgia Broadband Rollout
Expanded broadband access is becoming a statewide priority, and large steps have been made to implement the rollout. Georgia has received over $22 million in funding to implement its Digital Connectivity Plan, and $1.3 billion in federal funding is available through the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program. The GTA is working to administer a grant program to distribute these funds to underserved areas.
While the resources are available, many organizations aren’t aware of their accessibility. This summit provided an opportunity to connect organizations with the resources they need to drive the broadband rollout forward.
“Being able to understand that for some of the things I’ve been working on and ideas I’ve been thinking about [regarding Broadband], there are actually resources available to tap into – and being able to implement those – is what I enjoyed the most,” said attendee Emmanuel Okorafor, CEO of Kryptic Security Research Lab.
E911 And the Importance of Broadband for Cities
Broadband accessibility affects Georgians in nearly every aspect of life, including work, school, healthcare, emergency services, and mapping. Expanding broadband networks are essential to strengthening communities statewide.
For cities, a primary focus is improving emergency services through Next Generation (Next Gen) 911. “The backbone of Next Gen 911 is a broadband connection being available to every 911 center,” stressed Amy Ramsey, Education and Outreach Manager at Georgia Emergency Communications Authority.
Next Gen 911 relies heavily on geospatial imagery mapping, which pinpoints callers’ exact locations in real-time. While Georgia continues to rely on legacy 911 systems, the Georgia Geospatial Information Office urges cities transition to Next Gen 911 – which is aided by strong broadband access.
Hanson, who also serves as chair of the Geospatial Advisory Council, noted the state’s challenges in replacing outdated systems. “This year we’re at an interesting point of Georgia’s history, where we need to move to the next generation of 911. We are not where we need to be, even compared to peer states. It’s important for city leaders to understand their role in that: to have the necessary mapping so that 911 agencies can be dispatched appropriately.”
Susan Miller, Geospatial Information Officer at the Georgia Geospatial Imagery Office, educated attendees on various resources available to cities. “I want them to understand they are the authoritative data source for all map data for their communities, and it’s their responsibility to support their citizens by mapping their communities,” said Miller.
What’s Next for Georgia Regarding Broadband Rollout
While Georgia still has progress to make in broadband accessibility, experts at the summit emphasized that the statewide rollout is inevitable, and support and resources are there for cities that need them.
“We have had changes in administration, we’ve had delays, literal rehauls of the program, but it’s time now – for real this time,” said Director of Broadband Program Operations Sarah Baska, acknowledging past setbacks. “Commerce Secretary Lutnick has said that he wants everything wrapped up by end of year, I really think we’re going to hit that.”
GMA continues to support cities as they work to expand connectivity across Georgia. Through events like the Georgia Broadband Summit, it aims to raise awareness of available resources and networking opportunities for every city, big and small, as they work to advance the broadband rollout in the years ahead.