In Part 2 of this NC Broadband Matters webinar, Jack Cozort, Government Relations specialist from North State Strategies and Catharine Rice, co-founder of NC Broadband Matters, walk through some of the eyebrow raising events that took place on the ground during the making of H129 – the so-called “Level Playing Field Act” in 2011. Jack notes the line crossed that year under new House and Senate leadership, where broadband became a state-level partisan issue even though back in local communities, it was seen by local officials, from differing party affiliations, as just infrastructure essential for their residents and businesses to participate in a global economy dependent on the internet. Chris Mitchell uses this hour- long interview to tease out the lessons learned, and touches on the hope that this pandemic has raised the awareness in state elected officials that it is time for local communities to be broadband unleashed.Jack starts and ends the show noting that now is the time for you to ask your election year candidates, are you willing to give local communities the options they need to bring us the modern broadband [this pandemic has shown us] we so desperately need.
