Important re: MMA’s pay-to-view video trainings:

Please note that MMA’s paid webinar videos are not downloadable and cannot be shared with other users or members (unless streamed in a group setting). Access to the video will appear under the purchaser/user’s MMA eBusiness Account (under Digital Content Access). Individuals seeking to view these videos independently should purchase them by logging into their own eBusiness Account.

Please note: Webinar presentation slides and handouts can be downloaded from our website:

https://www.memun.org/Members/Resource-Library/Presentations-Handouts

Course Information:

What's the difference between fiber optic, cable, wireless and satellite? Is our network fast enough to meet the needs of the present and future? Why is it so hard to get high-speed internet to every home and business?

This educational session hosted by the Maine Broadband Coalition will answer those questions and more. We will get you up to speed on all the basics of broadband, including types of internet technology, key players in the sector, and the paths and steps that communities can take to attract private investment and public grants to build internet infrastructure that improves speed and reliability. Maine Connectivity Authority, the state agency charged with expanding broadband access and digital equity with public financing, will also be on hand to describe their institution and answer questions. This session is ideal for town managers, economic development directors, financial officers and elected officials who are looking to improve internet infrastructure for their businesses and residents.

Presenters: Myles Smith, Executive Director, Maine Broadband Coalition; Tanya Emery, Economic Development Director, Maine Connectivity Authority

Presenter Bios:

Myles Smith is the Executive Director of the Maine Broadband Coalition. Myles leads all aspects of MBC’s programs and advocacy to build statewide broadband infrastructure that serves everyone affordably, equitably, and with the quality necessary to keep Mainers competitive in the 21st century economy. Myles spent nearly 20 years protecting a free and open internet, supporting and practicing journalism, and promoting economic development internationally. Myles grew up in Rockland, Camden, Portland and Cumberland. He returned to his native Maine after stints in Boston; Moscow, Russia; Ashgabat, Turkmenistan; and Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan; and most recently, Washington, DC. He lives in Portland, with his wife, their two children, and one very loud street mutt from Kyrgyzstan.

Tanya Emery serves as the Economic Development Director for the Maine Connectivity Authority. She joined the MCA team in 2022 after spending more than 20 years working in economic development at the local and regional levels, including as the Director of Community and Economic Development for the City of Bangor. Emery serves as the strategic lead for the MCA BEAD planning program, and provides leadership in economic initiatives in Maine to advance the State’s connectivity goals.