The Kentucky Innovation Network office at Morehead State University will host a conference titled “Growing the Broadband Economy in Eastern Kentucky, Monday, Nov. 10, from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. at the Morehead Conference Center.
Everyone agrees that rural Appalachia needs a high speed, broadband internet network to create a new economy in eastern Kentucky. But once the network is built, how will it best be utilized? This question is especially important when it comes to creating more businesses and jobs in the region.
The goal of this meeting is to tackle one of the hottest topics in Appalachian Kentucky today: high speed internet and the way in which it can grow our region’s economy.
The conference, which is open to the public, will cover a variety of subjects and also will show entrepreneurs how the web can help grow their businesses.
Web development: companies and organizations will receive a free web assessment to determine if they should be on the web or if they need to improve an existing web presence.
Coding academies for youth: Eastern Kentucky has a real opportunity to create an emerging workforce of website, app and software developers. Kevin Smith, a founder of Rural Up, an emerging software academy for youth, will talk about this organization’s work to get young people excited about coding.
High speed food tourism: New attractions focused on food tourism are taking root across eastern Kentucky, including food destinations, entertainment venues, farm-to-table models, trail towns and more. Too often, these attractions lack a strong web strategy that can draw in customers from other parts of the country. Jessica Robinson, owner of Print + Pixel, a web development and marketing company located in Morehead, will discuss proven models that link local venues to a global customer base through the power of the internet.
The Potential for ISPs to Grow a Digital Economy: ISPs (internet service providers) have a major stake in seeing the internet economy grow. The more demand for their product, the greater and more reliable their customer base. How can ISPs work to increase demand for broadband services? Are there new services and revenue streams they can create that will bring new customers onto their grid? These questions will be discussed.
Thinking Big about the Space Economy: In Morehead, one of the biggest players in the high speed internet economy is the emerging space industry, centered on the Morehead State University Space Science Center. Whether it’s building satellites, navigating them in orbit, or pulling data from them as they circle the earth, the internet is vital to the center’s efforts. The space program also is beginning to spin off new businesses.
What is the potential for this emerging, web-based economy in a small place like Morehead? Dr. William Vartorella, a respected futurist, will present some of his ideas in a presentation titled "Exploiting the New Space Economy: Cryptocurrency, CubeSats, and Atypical Consortial Alliances in a Rural Broadband Setting."
SpaceTemp: With all the talent that’s being developed at MSU in the space industry, students now have the potential to work with space science companies located anywhere in the world. One of the MSU Space Science Center’s top students will propose a new business model that will allow these students to be a part of a temporary staff for space companies across the globe. By harnessing the power of the web, MSU students will be able to bridge the geographic divide and ultimately create global connections that will bring the growing satellite industry one step closer to eastern Kentucky.
With high-speed internet nearly at our fingertips, now is the time to figure out how to use it to build a new economy in eastern Kentucky. This event is a good place to start.
Additional information is available by contacting Johnathan Gay, director of the Kentucky Innovation Network office at MSU, at 606-783-9536.