Like many other cities in Colorado, citizens and community leaders in Fort Morgan decided to take their telecommunications infrastructure into their own hands by building a fiber-to-the-home network. That project has now received recognition from NMPP Energy as the Project of the Year for its members in Colorado, Kansas, North Dakota, Wyoming,  Nebraska, and Iowa.  CLICK HERE to read a story about Fort Morgan's award.

The Fort Morgan project is a public-private partnership between the City, which built and owns the network, and ALLO Communications, which leases access to the network to provide services to end users.

ALLO Communications is a Provider Member of CBAN. At the same meeting where Fort Morgan was recognized, CBAN was accepted as an NMPP Champion. Congratulations to Fort Morgan and thank you to NMPP for accepting CBAN in your Champion's program!

If you missed the latest edition of CBAN's Lunch and Learn webinar series, you can take advantage of viewing the recording.  "5G and Small Cell: What Cities Need to Know" took place live on Thursday, March 28th with over 40 people taking part in the session. The webinar was recorded and is now available on the CBAN YouTube page, or by playing in the video window below.

The next edition of CBAN's "Lunch and Learn" webinar series addresses a looming issue for cities across the nation: the FCC's 5G and Small Cell Order.

The webinar is limited to 100 attendees and advance registration is required. To register in advance for this meeting, go to the following link:

https://zoom.us/meeting/register/8cf34323bd97d8cd66858a512be5123a 

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. You are encouraged to register early to ensure your participation. However, the webinar will be recorded and made available afterwards at www.broadbandaction.com.

For more information on the FCC's order and possible impacts on cities, CLICK HERE for an article at www.broadbandnow.com.

Over 150 people - municipal operators, vendor representatives, and speakers - attended this year's IAMU Broadband Conference on March 13 and 14 in Des Moines.

A new and very well received feature of this year's Broadband Conference was the Customer Service Boot Camp. Led by Jeremy Graves of Pivot Group, attendees of the Boot Camp spent the entire day on March 13th taking a deep dive into the telecommunications customer experience. Attendees said the Boot Camp gave them new perspectives on interacting with customers, selling services, and being effective in their jobs. While overall attendance in the Boot Camp was not what we'd hoped, IAMU will explore doing similar customer service training again in the future.

Outside of the Boot Camp, attendees enjoyed 15 informational sessions on a wide range of topics while also taking advantage of ample networking time. As always, the Vendor Show was a highlight of the event. Over 40 vendors were represented.

The IAMU Broadband Committee has already met to begin planning the 2020 Broadband Conference. If you have any ideas for sessions or ways to make the show better, let us know!

The 2nd Community Broadband Summit, sponsored by the Community Broadband Action Network, is in the books. Approximately 50 people attended the day-long event yesterday in Des Moines for informational sessions and networking. 

CBAN would like to thank the following vendor and provider members who had exhibit tables at the Summit: ImOn Communications, ALLO Communications, Bear Communications, Calix, FARR Technologies, and Power & Tel.

Two events benefiting community-owned broadband networks take place next week in Des Moines. And time is running out to participate!

The 2nd Annual CBAN Community Broadband Summit is March 12th at the Holiday Inn & Suites on Merle Hay Road in Des Moines. It's free to attend for CBAN members, including community leaders looking for ways to improve broadband in their community.

IAMU's annual Broadband Conference is back and better than ever! For the first time we're providing a day-long track designed for customer contact personnel to hone their skills. The Customer Service Boot Camp features instructor Jeremy Graves with Pivot Group, one of the top telecommunications trainers in the nation. There is a fee of $50 in addition to conference registration to attend the Boot Camp (even if the person does not attend the rest of the conference). Space is limited!  Complete conference information and registration is below.