Midcoast Internet Coalition representatives Debra Hall and Matt Siegel will update the Camden Rotary Club on efforts to bring universal access to high-quality internet connections to the region at noon Tuesday, August 17.

Club members will gather at the First Congregational Church in Camden for a masked, in-person meeting with Zoom available to those who wish to attend remotely.

Select board members, technology consultants and citizens from Camden, Rockport, Hope, Lincolnville, and Northport, are working together within the coalition to bring the benefits of high-speed telecommunications to everyone in the region. They regard universal broadband access as a means of expanding educational and economic opportunities, making telehealth more available to seniors, and attracting young families and a vibrant workforce to the area.

Hall addressed the club in February, describing access to high-speed internet as "an essential driver of today's economy and social fabric" and calling for efficient, financially viable ways to ensure the availability of high-speed internet throughout the Midcoast.

Hall and Siegel will tell attendees about progress on this front as part of the club's efforts to promote local economic and workforce development. Club members have spent the past year learning about workforce education and training challenges, care for the children of working parents, and attainable housing. They are now developing collaborative projects to address them. To hear recordings of the presentations in this series, visit www.camdenrotary.org.

Anyone who would like to attend the August 17 meeting can obtain connection details from Stephanie Griffin: steph.griffinsg00@gmail.com.