KC nonprofit leader will advise FCC committee on broadband

The leader of an area nonprofit focused on making Kansas City a digital leader will be offering his broadband expertise to a Federal Communications Commission committee.

KC Digital Drive managing director Aaron Deacon was recently appointed to a group within the Federal Communications Commission’s Broadband Deployment Advisory Committee. Deacon’s group — Competitive Access to Broadband Infrastructure — will work to remove state and local regulatory barriers to broadband access.

“From a mission standpoint it was a pretty natural fit,” Deacon said. “Since our inception, we’ve been active in helping other communities advance their broadband infrastructure, knowing that Kansas City benefits as the network of gigabit cities grows.”

Accompanying Deacon on the panel will be Milo Medin, who led Google Fiber’s deployment in Kansas City and is Google’s vice president of access services, as well as other executives from Comcast, AT&T, Microsoft and other cable organizations.

KC Digital Drive was formed after Google Fiber’s arrival in Kansas City and was initially charged with the task of best leveraging the gigabit network. In the years since, KC Digital Drive has generated $1.25 million in direct financial support for programming and technology projects in digital inclusion, health care, education, events and community investment.

The organization also leads the Gigabit City Summit, which has attracted hundreds of delegates from more than 50 U.S. cities to learn about Kansas City’s smart city efforts, gigabit networks and other digital efforts to improve citizens’ lives.