Community Broadband Award for Digital Redwoods Initiative

For Immediate Release
September 9, 2009

Contact: Sean McLaughlin, e: sean@accesshumboldt.net
tel: 707-476-1798, cel: 707-616-2381 or 202-495-0616

Access Humboldt’s DIGITAL REDWOODS Initiative
Wins Community Broadband Award
“Community Wireless Network of the Year”

The National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors (NATOA) Board of Directors today announced the recipients of NATOA's 2009 Community Broadband Awards. These honors are awarded to exceptional leaders and innovative programs that champion community interests and broadband deployment in local communities nationwide. Recipients will receive their awards at NATOA's 29th Annual Conference, to be held in New Orleans from September 30 to October 2.

"NATOA's Community Broadband Awards proudly recognize the people, communities, and organizations that lead the nation in promoting community interests through broadband projects," said Mary Beth Henry, president of the NATOA Board of Directors.

The 2009 Community Broadband Award for “Community Broadband Wireless Network of the Year” is Digital Redwoods, a long term initiative of Access Humboldt. Local projects include Digital Rio Dell, Access Humboldt Libraries and Eureka Muni-Hub, a series of municipal and community efforts that deliver broadband and digital media services to remote and rural communities on the North Coast of California. A Project Summary is attached.

The NATOA Community Broadband Awards recipients were chosen based on their extraordinary efforts, achievements, and innovation in community-based approaches to broadband. These individuals, organizations, and communities have distinguished themselves in the effort to ensure that more American communities and citizens benefit from new technology.

“Digital Redwoods is built on the principle of ‘digital ecology.’ The goal is to create sustainable and healthy communications ecosystems with broadband media access serving local, diverse populations for public, education and government purposes,” said Sean McLaughlin for Access Humboldt.

Access Humboldt is a non-profit, community based, public service media organization formed in 2006 to manage local franchise benefits on behalf of Humboldt County, California and the cities of Eureka, Arcata, Fortuna, Rio Dell, Ferndale and Blue Lake.

For more information, online http://digitalredwoods.net, or contact Access Humboldt, admin@accesshumboldt.net, c: (707) 616-2381, t: (707) 476-1798.

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