This event qualifies for
4 continuing education credit hours
through the Kentucky Department for Local Government County Officials Training Program.

Registration is FREE.

Broadband & Barbecue

Connecting Rural Communities

Thursday, June 6th

10 a.m – 3 p.m. EDT
Hazard Community and Technical College
First Federal Center, Room: 123A
One Community College Drive
Highway 15 South
Hazard, KY 41701
Register at https://conta.cc/2Zj9uKI

Full Agenda: What’s On Our Plate

• USE – How to leverage connectivity to grow your local economy
• ACCESS – How to improve access to high-speed affordable broadband in your community

Sessions Include:

Introduction & Overview 

• 10:00 a.m. Welcome – SOAR and The Center for Rural Development
• 10:10 a.m. Blueprint for the Future of Appalachia – Jared Arnett, SOAR

High Economic Impact Uses of Broadband

• 10:30 a.m. Remote Work Panel (Moderated by Michael Cornett)
  • Cheryl Ellis, General Dynamics Information Technology
  • Teleworks USA Remote Worker
  • Chuck Caudill, Lee County Judge-Executive
• 11:15 a.m. Business & Startup Panel (Moderated by Jared Arnett)
  • New Frontier Outfitters
  • Payton May, BitSource
  • Tim Hughes, KY Department of Agriculture
  • Chris Self, AdventHealth Manchester – Telehealth
• 12:00 p.m. Lunch: Big Blue Smokehouse Buffet sponsored by Community Trust Bank

Rural Strategies for Access to Broadband

• 12:30 p.m. Middle Mile with KentuckyWired
  • Mike Hayden, COO, KCNA
• 1:20 p.m. Break
• 1:30 p.m. Last Mile Resources: Technology Assistance Program (TAP)
  • Larry Combs, The Center for Rural Development
• 2:00 p.m. Last Mile Providers Panel (Moderated by Larry Combs)
  • Keith Gabbard, CEO, Peoples Rural Telephone
  • Darrell Maynard, CEO, Eastern Telephone and Technologies
  • David Thacker, Thacker-Grigsby Telephone
  • Scott Shapiro, MetroNet Inc.