Gigi Sohn joins American Association for Public Broadband as executive director

NEW YORK – Moments ago, Gigi Sohn wrapped her fireside chat at this year's Broadband Communities Summit by announcing that she'll be serving as the Executive Director of the American Association for Public Broadband (AAPB). She will also continue her work as a Senior Fellow and Public Advocate at the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society.

The announcement comes as AAPB celebrates its first anniversary and caps a successful year of advocacy on behalf of public broadband networks nationwide.

Founded by state and local broadband officials, AAPB is a 501 (c)(6) non-profit organization that will build a diverse membership of public broadband networks nationwide and advocate for municipal broadband and local choice at the federal, state, and local levels. Notably, AAPB is the first of its kind membership organization open to government agencies and employees who are planning to build or currently own or operate a municipal network.

In her role, Ms. Sohn will ensure public entities will have a visible, powerful, and consistent voice that will make the positive case for states to fund and communities to choose public broadband and oppose barriers to local choice.

The following statement can be attributed to Gigi Sohn, Executive Director of the American Association for Public Broadband:

"Until now, there has not been a membership-based advocacy organization that works to ensure that public broadband can grow unimpeded by anti-competitive barriers. That's despite the success of public broadband to help places like Chattanooga and the Massachusetts Berkshires transform from sleepy hamlets to vibrant centers of economic opportunity, education, and culture. We have the chance to make a positive case for states to fund and communities to choose public broadband and oppose barriers to local choice.

"With more than $45 billion going to the states and tribal lands to build out broadband, I'm excited to work with public broadband providers to educate policymakers, the press and the public on the critical role public broadband plays in providing affordable, robust, and scalable broadband to communities across the country and how barriers to public broadband can hurt efforts to close the digital divide in both rural and urban America."

American Association for Public Broadband