COUNTY BROADBAND STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT PUBLIC INFORMATION MEETINGS

Santa Barbara County Association of Governments, working with the Broadband Consortium Pacific Coast, is holding a Santa Barbara public information meeting on the Santa Barbara County Broadband Strategy Development Project, which will help cities better understand the regional broadband and service needs for residents and businesses.

This public information meeting will be held on Wednesday, May 25th from 5:30 pm – 7 pm, at La Casa De La Raza, 601 E Montecito St, Santa Barbara. Moderated by Supervisor Das Williams, 1st District, Santa Barbara County, the meeting will include a panel discussion, with panelists chosen as representatives from the varied stakeholders in the community. The Santa Barbara South Coast Chamber of Commerce will hold a panelist seat, representing local businesses. Public participation is highly encouraged, as these community meetings are a great way for local stakeholders to weigh in on the Broadband Strategy Development Project.

The Chamber was happy to participate in the previous public information meeting held in Goleta on May 16th. The Chamber supports the development of a broadband strategic plan which can increase broadband infrastructure in the parts of the county where it is needed, with the objective to ensure public funds are used to work in tandem with actions and goals already being implemented by the private sector, ensuring that efforts are not being unnecessarily duplicated. It is key that the public sector continues to utilize the expertise of the private sector as the broadband strategic plan is developed and implemented.