In an evening filled with art and broadband policy, folks gathered in Washington D.C. to attend a screening of the film Do Not Pass Go, a documentary that examines the efforts of Wilson, North Carolina, to expand high-quality connectivity to rural neighbor Pinetops, and how big monopoly providers and the state legislature blocked their attempts.
Next Century Cities, the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, the Coalition for Local Internet Choice, the National Association of Regional Councils, and the National League of Cities hosted the event, which included a panel discussion on relevant state laws, the value of local authority, and possible solutions at the federal and local levels to bring everyone high-quality Internet access. In addition to our own Christopher Mitchell, Terry Huval, Former Director of Lafayette Utilities System and Suzanne Coker Craig, Managing Director of CuriosiTees in Pinetops LLC and former Pinetops Commissioner spoke on the panel moderated by Deb Socia, Executive Director of Next Century Cities.
Attorney Jim Baller, President of Baller Stokes & Lide and President and Co-founder of the Coalition for Local Internet Choice also took some time to discuss specific state barriers that interfere with local authority for Internet network investment.
After the panel discussion, attendees and panelists mingled and enjoyed music supplied by Terry Huval and his fiddle:
Host A Screening in Your Community
Holding a screening in your community to raise awareness and help educate neighbors about publicly owned networks is a great way to help bring concerned people together. Details on how to order the film so you can arrange a screening are available on Vimeo.
We have also prepared a screening packet to help you and your group with the discussion and with next steps.
Check out the Do Not Pass Go trailer:
Do Not Pass Go from Hyrax Films on Vimeo.
This article was originally published on ILSR’s MuniNetworks.org. Read the original here.
Photo of panel discussion via Next Century Cities.
