The Utah Broadband Project and the Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED) will be hosting the 2015 Broadband Tech Summit on October 14, 2015 at the Utah Valley Convention Center in Provo, Utah.
“Broadband plays a critical role in building strong communities and sustainable economies,” said Val Hale, executive director of GOED. “This summit will be not only a celebration of how Utah already excels in broadband, but also an important resource to help every community expand their infrastructure.”
Hale will host and speak at the event. As the executive director, he oversees all business, tourism and film development, including international trade for the state of Utah.
The summit will feature several national speakers including John Windhausen from the Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband (SHLB) Coalition; Brian Gibbons from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), and Andy Spurgeon from Broadband USA. These presenters will share the latest national broadband news and are a great addition to the program.
Morning keynote speaker James Lawrence, a Guinness World Record Holder for the most triathlons in one year and the most ironman races in a year will kick off the event with his story. He recently completed 50 ironman races in 50 states in 50 days.
Afternoon keynote speaker, Todd Westburg, Regional IT Director for the United Parcel Service (UPS), will discuss his strategy for developing and implementing technology initiatives within the organization as well as influencing business strategy through the innovative use of technology.
Broadband infrastructure is a vital component in GOED’s information technology and software development economic cluster. The summit will feature breakout sessions on broadband’s impact on economic development, smart roads and schools, and broadband planning for local governments.
“Utah has received national recognition for its extensive broadband infrastructure and high broadband adoption rate,” said Kelleigh Cole, director of the Utah Broadband Outreach Center. “This free Summit will focus on how Utah can maximize this infrastructure to greater grow our economy, improve on many aspects of our community and increase adoption throughout the state.”
Broadband Tech Summit partners Comcast, Google Fiber, Tonaquint Data Center, Syringa Networks, CenturyLink, AT&T, Rocky Mountain West Telecom, Beehive Broadband, Emery Telcom and Salt Lake Chamber have provided the opportunity for attendees to participate in a wide variety of workshops. The workshops will focus on aiding community planners, economic developers, government officials, business leaders, educators and other stakeholders in learning strategies to better improve broadband access, adoption and technology usage throughout Utah.
For more information about the 2015 Utah Broadband Tech Summit visit: http://broadband.utah.gov/