Bowling Green, KY. (February 19, 2018) – Entrepreneur. Advocate. Inventor. Those are just some of the words to describe the life and career of Janet Emerson Bashen. In 2006, according to blackpast.org, Bashen became first African American woman in the United States to hold a software patent. Bashen is the founder and CEO of the Bashen Corporation, a human resources firm …

(February 19, 2019) – Our credo affirms that everyone belongs in a Connected Nation. As we commemorate Black History Month, we can see where strides have been made in this effort, even as more improvements are needed. At a recent forum held by the Multicultural Media Caucus and Nielsen, participants noted that “African Americans are entering a technology-driven marketplace with …

(February 15, 2019) – It’s been said that necessity is the mother of invention. The work of Marie Van Britta Brown is a real-world example of that idea in action. Brown invented the first home security system. According to the website blackpast.org, Brown was a nurse and her husband, Albert, worked as an electrician technician. They lived in Queens, a New …

(February 14, 2019) – If you’ve recently made a call on your cell phone or listened to a great song, you should probably thank James Edward West. He developed the foil-electret microphone in 1962. It’s now used in almost all current microphones, including those found in most cell phones. According to The HistoryMakers* website, West was born in 1931 in …

Bowling Green, KY. (February 12, 2019) – Talking with Doug McCollough, the Chief Information Officer of the city of Dublin, Ohio, one thing becomes immediately apparent — he’s a public servant who believes in digital inclusion. “It’s criminal that people who could benefit from technology and its advances are not getting access to it,” said McCollough. “Our entire society is …

Celebrating Black History Month  (February 7, 2019) –  As the Director of Digital Inclusion for Connected Nation, Heather Gate is quick to point out the tremendous power and opportunities that technology provides to communities – particularly historically disenfranchised minority communities. In this age of technology, “digital exclusion” means that disenfranchised communities, families and individuals are left further behind without access …

Lansing, MI (February 6, 2019) – Michigan lawmakers got an update on the issue of broadband access in the state today during the House Communications and Technology Committee meeting.  Connect Michigan’s Executive Director, Eric Frederick (pictured right), was among those who testified. “We’re a neutral advocate for all technology,” he told the committee members. “Among other things, we do network …

Bowling Green, KY. (Febuary 4, 2019) – There’s no denying that technology has changed the way we live. One area it has changed tremendously is higher education. Tech programs, services, and high-speed internet have helped different groups, including minority students, grow and develop a better sense of community and education. As a college student myself, I wanted to learn how this growth in …

Celebrating Black History Month  (February 1, 2019) – For more than a century, African Americans have been helping to shape the future of technology in our country. However, their contributions are often overlooked. Connected Nation’s mission to find innovative solutions to expand access to and boost the adoption of broadband (high-speed internet) and its related technologies is rooted in the …

Louisville, Ky. (Jan. 21, 2019) – Today, our nation officially recognizes the role Martin Luther King Jr. played in leading the civil rights movement during the 1960s and the terrible price he paid for being an advocate for equality. He was a Baptist minister who was born in Atlanta — the cradle of the South and of segregation. Despite the …