Lafayette To Be Featured At Launch Of National, City-to-City Broadband Initiative

October 15, 2014 - Lafayette is to be featured as an inaugural member of Next Century Cities, a bipartisan, city-to-city initiative dedicated to ensuring the availability of next-generation broadband Internet for all communities. Lafayette will be the only city from the southeast Gulf Coast to participate from the region. The launch event will take place in Santa Monica, California on October 20 and simultaneously webcast. Register to join the webcast at <http://conta.cc/1DW073w>.

City-Parish President Joey Durel is slated to be a featured speaker during the opening segment of the launch event. He will be discussing the importance and potential impact of high-speed Internet networks in communities across the country. He will also participate on the “Leading Next Century Cities” panel discussion along with other elected officials from around the country. This panel will share experiences and lessons, and identify future opportunities for high-speed Internet investments.

Terry Huval, Director of Lafayette Utilities System and LUS Fiber, will participate on the panel, “Becoming a Next Century City.” This panel discussion will explore the technical challenges and opportunities of advancing a next-generation broadband. The launch event is scheduled to begin at 11:30am (CST).

Joining Lafayette will be 16 elected officials as well as other leaders from the 31 cities joining together to form Next Century Cities. Featured speakers and panelists will discuss the importance of broadband Internet to communities nationwide, and how this new initiative will support communities and their elected leaders as they seek to ensure that all have access to fast, affordable, and reliable Internet.

Next Century Cities: Inaugural Partner Cities (31)
·    Lafayette, LA
·    Ammon, ID
·    Auburn, IN
·    Austin, TX
·    Boston, MA
·    Centennial, CO
·    Champaign, IL
·    Chattanooga, TN
·    Clarksville, TN
·    Jackson, TN
·    Kansas City, KS
·    Kansas City, MO
·    Leverett, MA
·    Louisville, KY
·    Montrose, CO
·    Morristown, TN
·    Mount Vernon, WA
·    Palo Alto, CA
·    Ponca City, OK
·    Portland, OR
·    Raleigh, NC
·    Rockport, ME
·    San Antonio, TX
·    Sandy, OR
·    Santa Cruz County, CA
·    Santa Monica, CA
·    South Portland, ME
·    Urbana, IL
·    Westminster, MD
·    Wilson, NC
·    Winthrop, MN