From The Knight Center of Digital Excellence to you: Freedom to Connect 2009 Day 2 highlights. We’ll continue to post updates as available:

Broadband Success Story: Lafayette, La.

Today’s speakers at F2C09 included Terry Huval, director of Lafayette Utilities System (LUS). Huval presented a history of the initiative to build a fiber ring around the city and provide fiber-to-the-home services. After years of lawsuits, fiber-to-the-home is now considered the “fourth utility.” The city will offer high-speed cable, internet, and digital phone to residents and businesses through a fiber optic network. Connections to homes will even include battery power, allowing subscribers to receive information by fiber even during a hurricane.

Broadband Success Story: Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Herman Wagter, CEO of CityNet Amsterdam, shared how his city has built its fiber-to-the-home system to reach thousands of homes and businesses. CityNet has faced unique challenges, including a diverse customer base; deployment issues caused by building design and a lack of poles; and competing providers that have threatened the business model. He stressed the value in sharing network infrastructure and the importance of eliminating legal, economic, social and other barriers to enable connectivity.