Finding Hope, Purpose, and Energy at Net Inclusion 2026

Net Inclusion 2026 felt different than previous years. It's been a month since it kicked off and we are still talking about that experience. 

There was a noticeable vibe shift.

There was something in the air — an attitude that said; We’re not backing down. We’re digging in and making this work. 

A staple in the digital inclusion community since 2016, the Net Inclusion Conference has always been a gathering place for digital equity practitioners, advocates, academics, internet service providers, and policymakers to advance their professional development and share knowledge on policies impacting digital equity, best practices from across the country, and programming that serves diverse populations.  In short, it’s people working tirelessly to get those who aren't online, online. 

It was, without question, the best Net Inclusion we've ever attended. By the end, we were exhausted. It felt like we talked to more people in those three days than we have in the last five years combined. Still, we left energized in a way that surprised us.

A Different Kind of Atmosphere

Attendance was noticeably down from previous years. The reasons are clear: massive funding cuts, staff reductions across organizations, and hesitation to travel given the current administration's targeting of cities like Chicago (where the conference was held) and communities that digital inclusion work primarily serves. But those who showed up came with a sense of purpose that transcended the usual conference dynamics.

The people who were there represented organizations still figuring out how to make things work despite everything happening in the sector right now. Net Inclusion always attracts hyper-dedicated people, but this year felt like an elevated level of commitment. It was an interesting vibe — unexpectedly very positive and inspirational.

The best way we can describe the atmosphere this year was that it had an activist vibe. It was a shift from the usual, Jenny needs internet connection, so she doesn’t have to do her homework at Starbucks or parked outside of her school, to A Somali family who legally immigrated to the US needs connectivity because they’re hiding and afraid to leave their house.

It's been a year since Digital Equity Act funds were cut off by the Federal government, and the sector has responded. At last year's Net Inclusion, there was industry-wide grief and reckoning with the impact of the loss. This conference felt scrappy, dedicated — folks felt deeply committed to the work we all do. It was tangible.

National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA) co-founder Bill Callahan received an award at the conference. Often described as the “Godfather” of digital equity, he's been doing this work since 1997. The people at Net Inclusion 2026 are like him —tenacious and resilient. They're the ones with really hard heads who keep at this work because it's the right thing to do.

Authentic Connection Over Competition

We had meaningful conversations with people who were interested in understanding how our approach differs from for-profit companies and other nonprofits. We explained that our approach is more of a partnership than a vendor/customer relationship. Due to our income sources, our goal is to make it as affordable as possible per line to support operations while treating subsidies as in-kind micro-grants to partner organizations. 

Their response was immediate and enthusiastic. In short, people really seem to appreciate our partner-based approach. It confirmed what we have always known, we can't just say "We've got affordable internet." We have to back it up with how we’re able to do that and how our approach supports our partners’ missions.

The conference provided opportunities for us to connect with both current and potential partners, including Truconnected, Computer Reach, and PCs for People. These weren't perfunctory networking sessions but substantive conversations about structuring partnerships, understanding needs, and building long-term relationships.

We were able to sit down with people and tell them, "This is what we have to offer. What do you need?" They told us. Those kinds of conversations happened all conference long.

One conversation with a Truconnected representative stuck with us. Someone asked about his plan to scale, and he answered with one word: "Passion." He went on to explain that as long as you have passionate people in the right roles, growing isn't really much of a problem. That resonated with us. It’s what the 2026 Net Inclusion conference was all about.

The Funding Crisis Reared Its Head

If there was a single topic that dominated both formal sessions and hallway conversations, it was funding. Cassie Bair, our Vice President of Broadband Services, co-facilitated a workshop on alternative funding that ballooned from 27 registered participants to a peak of 127, with an estimated 100 people staying for the entire session. The response was so overwhelming that attendees requested follow-up workshops and an ongoing series.

Cassie’s a member of the Alternative Funding Models Working Group that came out of Net Inclusion 2025. Even then it was clear that there is a need and demand for practitioners to figure out other ways to build sustainable funding for their digital inclusion work. Having been in the digital inclusion space for over a decade, Cassie's well aware of the need for the sector to pivot in their funding approaches.

The workshop confirmed that need. Folks are dealing with lost funding, brain drain, and overall momentum — from the national level down to private grants. The people on the ground are amazing, passionate, dedicated, and smart, but they don't necessarily know how to go after funding beyond the traditional grant structure. The workshop demonstrated how hard, and how vital, that pivot needs to be. 

Finding alternative funding isn't an option anymore — it's a necessity.

Unexpectedly Powerful Collaborations

When the workshop attendees started splitting up into groups, it was clear that those in attendance were truly cross-sector at a level that we weren’t expecting.

What struck us most was the diversity in the room. We had people split up by "birds of a feather”. They grouped by commonalities. It was researchers, e-refurbishers, education specialists, digital skills trainers, funding professionals, and more.

It was powerful to see the mix of experience levels. You had people who represented a wide variety of roles in digital equity organizations in our space. During break-out sessions they were grouped together by common interest. When you see that kind of collaboration in action and understand what people are trying to figure out and why they're trying to do it, it hits different.

An Atypical Conference Experience

Honestly, we barely went to sessions. The three days were mostly spent having conversations, making connections, and attending impromptu meetings. We basically paid to network. It was worth every penny.

One session Adam did attend focused on data centers, and it was eye-opening in a disheartening way. It's whack-a-mole — a whole other thing to worry about in the digital equity space. Data centers tend to get built in the wrong places. Communities often don't negotiate upfront to get good deals and long standing community benefits. The data centers  come in promising jobs, but the majority are construction jobs that disappear once the facility is built. One data center was going to consume so much energy that the city it was being built in rejected new business permits for 10 other businesses because they couldn't supply them with energy. 

Our guess — that's probably a net jobs loss.

Digital equity isn’t just about access and skills anymore. Now it's data centers too. AI was another big topic throughout the conference, woven into conversations across multiple sessions.

Leaving Energized

We left the conference physically exhausted but mentally energized — an unusual combination. Usually you leave a conference thinking about your to-do list. You’re wiped out, even if it was good. Not this time.

The energy at the Net Inclusion conference was hopeful in the face of things that are not great right now. There was validation in those conversations, hearing that people resonate with how we're structuring our work, that we're doing it right and for the right reasons. How do you not get energized by that?

We also learned something that was directly impactful to us and our mission — people don't just want a service provider or funder — they want a partner. They need connection beyond the technology and solutions we offer. That insight shaped every conversation we had and will continue to shape how we approach this work.

At Net Inclusion 2026, we were with our people. And in a moment when the work feels more urgent and more precarious than ever, that connection — that sense of shared purpose and mutual validation gave us hope, renewed our purpose, and filled us with the kind of energy we need to keep working on closing the digital divide.

If, after reading about National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA), you are inspired to support them, we invite you to make a donation."