Discussing the Future of EBS at Annual NEBSA Conference
February 20, 2019 The annual conference for the National Educational Broadband Service (EBS) Association (NEBSA), was held in Tampa this week. This year’s conference offered a variety of panels related to EBS regulatory policy, wireless technology, the wireless industry and the good EBS is doing. Voqal’s own John Schwartz participated in a panel titled “Washington Read More
Telecommunications Policy Update: Unleashing the Power of EBS in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula
February 15, 2019 Voqal has long been an advocate for using Educational Broadband Service (EBS) to empower communities and connect the unserved and underserved. All Americans deserve an opportunity to participate in digital society. Unfortunately, far too many Americans lack true broadband access. According to the FCC’s 2018 Broadband Deployment Report, about 24 million Americans Read More
Voqal Invests $136,000 to Advance Social and Racial Equity in Oregon
February 13, 2019 Voqal is excited to announce seven grants to organizations working in Oregon to strengthen the community through progressive organizing and citizen empowerment. The grants of $21,000 to Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon (APANO), $20,000 to Building Power for Communities of Color, $20,000 to Color PAC Action, $20,000 to Latino Network Action Read More
BISC Looks to the Road Ahead in 2019
February 11, 2019 Last week, the Ballot Initiative Strategy Center (BISC) held its annual Road Ahead conference at the Park MGM in Las Vegas. Not only was it the biggest conference in BISC’s history, but it also took a bold new approach to make the event a valuable and insightful experience for the attendees. This year’s Read More
2018 Annual Report Spotlight: Protecting the Public Airwaves
February 6, 2019 In the last installment of our ongoing series featuring stories from Voqal’s FY 2018 Annual Report: Be Nimble, we take a look at our efforts to ensure the country’s telecommunications resources are benefiting the public. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has a duty to the public – the airwaves belong to the Read More
Mobilizing Asian American Communities to Create Lasting Power
February 4, 2019 Asian Americans Advancing Justice Chicago builds power through collective advocacy and organizing to achieve racial equity. It accomplishes this through leadership development, advocacy and civic engagement. With support from Voqal, Asian Americans Advancing Justice Chicago convened and mobilized the Pan Asian Voter Empowerment (PAVE) coalition. The PAVE coalition works to include the Read More
Telecommunications Policy Update: EBS Auction Event Raises Important Questions
February 1, 2019 Last week, the Internet Innovation Alliance (IIA) hosted an event titled “Can a Voluntary Auction of the 2.5 GHz EBS Spectrum Help Close the Homework Gap?” The event featured a fireside chat with FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel, who has advocated for conducting an incentive auction to recapture EBS licenses, sell them to Read More
2018 Annual Report Spotlight: Investing for Impact with Peekapak
January 31, 2019 As part of our ongoing series featuring stories from Voqal’s FY 2018 Annual Report: Be Nimble, we take a look at one of the Voqal’s Educational Opportunity Project investees, Peekapak and their innovative work to help address the educational opportunity gap. Leo the Hedgehog is a tinkerer and loves to learn how Read More
2019 Voqal Fellows Meet in Denver
January 30, 2019 “When you ask for funding, you get advice. When you ask for advice, you get funding.” – Voqal Fellow Maria Yuan This past weekend, the newest cohort of the Voqal Fellowship came together in Denver at the Curtis Hotel to meet each other and share their projects. The meeting kicked off on Read More
Happy National Inventors Day: Celebrating Voqal Fellows
January 25, 2019 In this month’s entry in Voqal’s grantmaking blog series, Director of Grantmaking Brenda Sears looks forward to National Inventors Day by highlighting three past Voqal Fellows and their projects focused on advancing social change. Storm from the X-Men was right when she said “we live in an age of darkness, a world Read More