OUR HISTORY

 

In 2017, colleagues and future CBAN co-founders Curtis Dean and Todd Kielkopf came to a realization. Their private practices had evolved to largely focus on supporting Iowa communities in their quest for locally-controlled broadband solutions. Everyone had learned so much along the way - and Todd and Curtis saw how that learning could be invaluable for other communities around the state and across the nation in their own pursuit of broadband independence.

With third co-founder Jon Willow on board, a vision was born for a membership organization inclusive of communities, local providers, advocates, and services providers. The network could serve as a nexus of relevant resource-sharing - from broadband projects, roadmapping, and ongoing education to policy updates, industry news, success stories, and more. In January of 2018, the Community Broadband Action Network (CBAN) was born. Reception was positive, with over 40 new members in the first year, mostly from the founders’ home state of Iowa.

Today, CBAN’s membership has grown to 165 members in 27 states and one Canadian province (as of 12/23). In all, our work has touched the lives of nearly one million people. We are proud of our members and their excellent - sometimes miraculous - work, and honored to play a small role in the delivery of better broadband to local communities all over the US.

In 2022, CBAN’s nonprofit, Community Broadband Action Network Corp., was selected as one of 18 cohort members in the National Digital Inclusion Alliance’s National Digital Navigator Corps. A three-year pilot made possible by Google.org, the program funds digital navigator programs in each cohort member’s territory. With the addition of Bri Dillavou, our Digital Navigator, this work has allowed CBAN to be on the cutting edge of digital equity best practices as they evolve, and to share what we’re learning with our members and others as they begin their own digital equity journeys.

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