A Farmer and a Businessman Making Broadband ‘Juice Worth the Squeeze’

• Can we afford to have it?
• Can we afford not to have it?

Put another way, we have to resolve if “the juice” – the value of high speed internet to us – is worth “the squeeze” – the out of pocket cost.

Prices vary, a lot, by location, but in general, if what the FCC defines as high speed internet (25 megabits per second for download, 3 megabits per second upload) is what you are looking for, you might be looking at $50-$60/month, plus taxes tags and fees. A lot of people in the state are choosing not to buy it: according to the North Carolina Broadband Infrastructure Office, just 59.4 percent of people who could have broadband are choosing to. Those percentages are lower in some of our rural counties and among lower income residents of our cities.

Join us on February 10, 2020, in Raleigh for our fourth forum in the ReCONNECT NC series, ReCONNECT to Technological Opportunity at the McKimmon Conference and Training Center.

At the forum, participants will explore what their communities can do to leverage high speed Internet in an equitable way.

We are offering a special discount for community members who register together. Bring five people to the forum for the price of four! We are specifically encouraging communities interested in exploring a digital inclusion plan to take advantage of this deal.

Learn more and register now!

We're excited to announce our keynote speaker: Larry Irving, groundbreaking researcher on the digital divide whose work in Internet policy has had a global impact, earning him a spot in the Internet Hall of Fame. Learn more about him and the great lineup of speakers joining us on February 10, 2020 at the McKimmon Conference and Training Center.

As part of the ReCONNECT to Technological Opportunity, the Institute for Emerging Issues chose five communities to tell their story regarding how they are actively working to best leverage high speed broadband for economic growth and community improvement. Here's a sneak peek!

Learn more when they present at the Reconnect to Technological Opportunity forum on February 10!

Read more »

The RFCAI Faith Team is looking forward to having our faith leaders that attend the Feb 10th Forum connect and build relationships with the various ReConnect community leaders during the post-Forum half-day gathering on Feb 11th.

We are planning for folks to workshop together around adaptive leadership strategies in order to better lead through disruptions, failure, adversity, and change. In preparation, we're reading Ron Heifetz's "The Practice of Adaptive Leadership" and Frédéric Laloux's "Reinventing Organizations".

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William C. Friday Dialogues for Civic Leadership:
Practicing Presence, Cultivating Conveners
3rd Thursdays, Monthly
Thursday, February 20, 2020
through Thursday, June 18, 2020
5:30 - 7:30 p.m.
Southern Regional AHEC Education Center 3rd Floor
1601 Owen Drive, Fayetteville, NC 28304 Learn more

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Applications are now being accepted for the Johnson Service Corps (JSC)
From August 2020 through July 2021.

JSC places young people with Chapel Hill and Durham nonprofits. Participants live in intentional communities, receiving a monthly stipend and shared food budget, while working as emerging professionals with their nonprofit partner organization.

Time is committed each week to faith formation around issues such as justice, equity, and call. Although it is an affiliate of the Episcopal Service Corps, young people of all faiths are welcome in JSC. For more information and to apply, visit their website or contact Program Director Andrew Hudgins at andrew@johnsonservicecorps.org.
Learn more