AARP Minnesota Broadband Webinar Slated for Next Week

AARP Minnesota has taken notice: “broadband infrastructure has not been deployed evenly to communities across the state.”

In an effort to raise awareness about the “good news” of state and federal investments to expand infrastructure and how local leaders and residents can learn how to push for better broadband access in their communities, the Minnesota chapter of the AARP will host a “Critical Access: Broadband Expansion in Minnesota” webinar beginning at 1 p.m. CT Wednesday, Aug. 24.

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Our own Christopher Mitchell, Director of Community Broadband Networks with the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, will be a featured speaker for the one-hour event and will be joined by Cathy McLeer, State Director for AARP Minnesota, as well as Lori Vrolson, Executive Director of the Central Minnesota Council on Aging.

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McLeer has been with AARP Minnesota since 2005, having first served as the Associate State Director for Communications in the South Dakota State Office, then as a Senior Advisor for the Central Region, before becoming the Minnesota State Director where she has been a powerful advocate on behalf of Minnesota’s 630,000 AARP members.

Vrolson has more than 27 years’ experience working on aging issues. Currently, as Executive Director of the Central MN Council on Aging (CMCOA), which serves the 14 counties in the central region of Minnesota, she has overseen the organization’s administration of the federal Older Americans Act funding program for non-medical in-home services. Vrolson’s work has more recently been focused on developing Lifetime Communities, expanding evidence-based chronic disease self-management resources, and assisting older adults as they transition across health and long-term care settings.

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Mitchell will share insights on how broadband expansion works, new opportunities for funding, and how local leaders and residents can bring new projects to their communities. Representatives from the Area Agency on Aging and AARP will also share policy solutions as well as cover the digital navigation skills needed to put the benefits of high-speed Internet access to use.

There’s still time to register for the webinar here

 

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