TxkUG Showcase: Connecting Texarkana's Future - A Business Broadband Panel

"TxkUG Showcase: Connecting Texarkana's Future - A Business Broadband Panel"Event Information: Friday, July 21, 2017 11:30 AM - 1:00 PMRoom 151, 1st Floor, Dr. William R. Patterson Health Science Center (building number 15 on the TC map linked below) Texarkana College Campus 2500 N. Robison Road Texarkana, TX 75599 https://www.texarkanacollege.edu/campus-map/ Google Streetview: https://goo.gl/maps/fsEPFiS7N5A2 Google Maps: https://goo.gl/maps/PELp8PTJ2cr Description: Texarkana is a growing community with many businesses and enterprises of varying sizes with differing IT needs. One of the concerns that has been brought up in our meetings is the quality and availability of ISP and telecommunication services to support this growing demand. A few years ago, the Texarkana Chamber of Commerce held a broadband initiative to research these concerns. One of the primary takeaways from that work was the need for education and awareness of what is available in our area. Building upon this group’s work, we would like to invite area IT professionals and IT students to join in a business broadband panel to learn more about what broadband and other telecommunication services are available in our area, as well as discuss some of the challenges that are faced by both ISP and IT professionals alike. Cableone, Network USA, Southwest Arkansas Telephone Coop, and Windstream Communications, providers of the majority of ISP and telecommunication services to businesses and institutions in the Texarkana area, have all graciously agreed to participate in our broadband panel. The panel will be moderated by Paul Lovelace, a 20 year IT veteran who has worked for over 12 years as a systems administrator for Truman Arnold Companies and recently joined the TxkUG Steering Committee. Panel members will discuss their services and expansion plans for the Texarkana MSA (more statistical information on Texarkana can be found at http://www.texarkanamsa.org/index.html) and participate in a moderated Q&A session using preselected questions received from members of the Texarkana Area Information Technology Users Group. However, if time allows, the members of the audience will be allowed to ask free-form question afterwards. Note: Due to the need for a headcount for our room reservation., we ask that all attendees RSVP through Eventbrite or the "Get Ticket" feature found in the Facebook invite by Monday, July 17th. Limited seating may still be available afterwards. However, priority will be given to ticket holders.