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Opportunity: Apply to Be a Leading Edge Fellow to Advance Social Justice
The doldrums of winter are upon us, which means that to counter the cold nights and grey skies we get another round of the American Council of Learned Society's Leading Edge Fellowship program.
Wadsworth, Ohio Converting City-Owned Broadband Network From Coaxial To Fiber
Wadsworth, Ohio officials say they’re making steady progress on the expansion of a city-owned broadband network that’s extending affordable fiber connectivity to the city’s nearly 25,000 residents. Originally a coaxial-based network, the city now says it’s in the process of delivering Wi-Fi to many city residents while they go block-by-block removing older coaxial cable and upgrading residents to more future-proof fiber optic connectivity.
Sherwood, Oregon Ferments ‘Future-Proof’ Fiber To Preserve and Expand Municipal Network
Sherwood Broadband recently secured a $9 million grant from the Oregon Broadband Office Broadband Deployment Program to continue expanding Sherwood’s municipally-owned network. The grant award is part of $132 million in federal Rescue Plan funds the state is doling out to an array of community-owned broadband initiatives for 16 projects across 17 counties.
Conexon Connect Completes First Major Florida Fiber Deployment
Conexon Connect has completed its first fiber to the home project in Florida, a 2,000-mile network launched in partnership with Escambia River Electric Cooperative (EREC). Conexon noted that this was the sixth fiber project they’ve completed nationwide with fiber Internet access being delivered to 12,000 EREC members.
Bolt Broadband One Of Many Winners In Latest Oklahoma ARPA Grants
In the Northeastern part of Oklahoma, the OBO says it has partnered with several providers on fiber expansion, including a $1.4 million grant doled out to BOLT Fiber, a subsidiary of Northeast Rural Services, which is a division of Northeast Oklahoma Electric Cooperative. The cooperative’s pricing – especially gigabit – is notably lower than what’s seen in many U.S. coastal urban markets, where a lack of competition among regional monopolies has driven up the cost of access while driving down service reach, speed, and overall quality.
New York Awards $13.1 Million In New Low Income Housing Broadband Grants
New York State officials have unveiled the first round of broadband deployment grants made possible by the state’s $100 million Affordable Housing Connectivity Program (AHCP). The plan aims to drive affordable fiber and cheap Wi-Fi to low-income state residents trapped on the wrong side of the digital divide.
North Dakota Nearing 100 Percent Fiber Connectivity
In one of the most rural parts of the U.S., North Dakota is close to being the first state in the nation where every home and business has - or will soon have - access to fiber service, the gold standard of Internet connectivity. State broadband office claims $130 million from the infrastructure law will be enough to reach all of its broadband serviceable locations with fiber.
Waves in Baltimore Gets $2 Million To Deploy Fiber To More Apartment Complexes
The City of Baltimore is using $2 million of its American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding to bring fiber to 12 new city apartment buildings. It’s the latest effort in the city’s attempt to bridge the digital divide and bring affordable Internet access to long-marginalized communities.
B4DE Offers Insights For Navigating Broadband Political Divide In Nation's Capital
Digital inclusion advocates are bracing themselves for an uncertain year ahead, as the incoming GOP regime takes aim at key aspects of the Digital Equity Act and the BEAD program. New Street Research policy advisor Blair Leven and NDIA's Angela Siefer offer insights on what to expect.
Minnesota ISPs Say They May Not Participate In BEAD, Citing Restrictions
A growing number of ISPs in states like Minnesota say they may not participate in the BEAD program. A number of Minnesota ISPs are still bristling at BEAD’s requirements, according to Brent Christensen, president and CEO of the Minnesota Telecom Alliance, an organization that represents 70 ISPs across the North Star State.
Roanoke Cooperative Thinks Big With North Carolina Fybe Fiber Expansion
North Carolina’s Roanoke Cooperative continues to make steady progress with expansion of its Fybe last mile fiber network within The Tar Heel State. Cooperative officials tell ILSR that the cooperative and a coalition of organizations across North Carolina have major expansion plans in the works, starting with a fiber build in Halifax County, population 47,298.
Maine, New Mexico Want Starlink Part of the Mix: Balancing Trade-Offs and Concerns
States wary about the restrictions and delays with looming federal broadband grants are poised to put significant taxpayer resources into Starlink and other low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellations. The problem: such services often aren’t affordable, raise environmental questions, and may struggle to keep pace with consumer capacity demand.