Source: The Monieson Centre at Queen's School of Business.
September 19-20, 2012 Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Connecting the Future: Rural Broadband Technology, Policy and Impact is an international conference addressing leading-edge advancements in broadband development, with relevance to rural communities around the globe.
It will advance the broadband research agenda by exploring:
* Policy, including financing models for broadband as an infrastructure investment,
* Technology, including next generation broadband technology and innovative applications of ICT for rural regions, and
* Economics and community, including the economic and social impacts of broadband expansion on rural communities.
It will create dialogue between international researchers, policymakers, and industry leaders through research presentations, discussion panels, and networking events. As a joint, academic-practitioner event, it will both promote new research and provide opportunities for knowledge mobilization.
The event will further explore the Eastern Ontario Regional Network (EORN), a $200-million initiative to provide broadband service to 95% of rural Eastern Ontario, as a globally relevant case study of forward thinking approaches to broadband investment. The regional approach employed in this milestone infrastructure investment, which draws on funding from multiple government tiers and private-sector partners, creates a model for communities around the world.
Accordingly, the conference objectives are to:
* Generate international discussion around the future of rural broadband
* Highlight innovative and effective policymaking strategies for ICT infrastructure development
* Advance research on the social and economic impacts of broadband investment
* Showcase emerging technologies and innovations for rural broadband delivery
* Share findings of models and strategies for public-private partnerships (PPPs) and multi-tier, regional collaborations for infrastructure investment
* Create opportunities for long-term research partnerships between researchers, government, and business for the ongoing assessment of broadband impacts in Eastern Ontario
* Discover opportunities for global research collaborations and sharing of lessons learned
* Engage students in broadband impact assessment research
Call for Papers
The Monieson Centre at Queen's School of Business invites abstract submissions on any of the following, or related, themes:
1. Policy
* Funding models for broadband infrastructure
* Public-private partnerships (PPPs)
* Rural broadband pricing
* Land-use issues
* Engagement of aboriginal and minority populations
2. Technology
*Technological innovations and solutions, including: Fibre-optic technologies, Satellite technology, Mobile broadband
* Broadband adoption issues such as public Internet access; barriers to broadband adoption; digital literacy
* Broadband access issues
3. Economics & Community
Economic impacts of broadband, including:
* Entrepreneurial growth
* Job creation
* Access to markets
* Econometric modeling of economic impacts (e.g., input-output modeling, regression analysis)
Social impacts of broadband, including:
* Educational impacts
* Government service delivery
* E-health
* Social networks
* Political activism and participation
* Population retention
Abstract Submissions
Abstracts must be submitted to monieson@business.queensu.ca by 5pm, EST, Apr. 15, 2012. Abstracts should be limited to 750 words. Applicants will be advised of adjudication results by May 15, 2012.
The review panel welcomes research from all countries. Research proposals should address issues related to rural broadband, but may also address broadband issues related to small urban and remote contexts, as well as urban-rural interactions.
Papers presented at the conference will subsequently be published in a conference compendium. Final, completed papers are due Aug. 31, 2012.
Conference Partners
* Ontario Ministries of Government Services; Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs; and Economic Development and Innovation
* Eastern Ontario Wardens' Caucus
