Fast, affordable Internet access for all.
Top Stories
Latest Stories
Save the Date: Next B4DE Marks Pivotal Time In ‘Charting the Course’ Forward
With uncertainty swirling around the future of BEAD and Digital Equity Act programs, the next Building for Digital Equity (#B4DE) live stream is shaping up to be perhaps the most monumental one to date. “Charting the Course: Adapting to Policy Shifts While Keeping Our Eyes on the Prize” promises to bring hundreds of digital inclusion practitioners together to offer insights on how communities continue to move forward at a time when the programs established to do so have been tossed into disarray.
Four Tribal Communities in Alaska Ready To Come Out Of Connectivity Freeze
If the cloud of uncertainty suddenly hovering over federal broadband funding programs is lifted, four Tribal co mmunities in Alaska can fully celebrate an NTIA grant that will help bring state-of-the-art fiber connectivity to their homes on Kodiak Island just off the south coast of Alaska. Old Harbor Native Corporation will undertake the project, named Project Nunapet for an Alutiiq word meaning “our lands,” in partnership with Alaska Communications.
NaLA Survey Reveals Post-ACP Hardship for Economically Vulnerable
The 68,000 survey responses highlighted a critical need for Lifeline and ACP programs. Americans who relied on the ACP have struggled to find work, balance their budgets, and access healthcare, according to the NaLA survey.
New York City Expands Free Wireless, But Missed Opportunities Loom Large
New York City Mayor Eric Adams recently unveiled plans to improve public safety, housing, and the overall livability of the Big Apple, which includes $6 million in new funding to expand the New York Public Library’s (NYPL) “Neighborhood Internet” network. But the effort still remains a far cry from the bolder, bigger, “master plan” initiative scrapped by the Adams administration in 2022.
Lack Of Progress, Transparency Mar Augusta County, Virginia Fiber Partnership
In Virginia, a partnership with a local private ISP and several nearby cooperatives to finally expand affordable fiber into long unserved portions of eight predominantly rural Virginia counties doesn’t appear to be working out all that well for Augusta County. All Points Broadband originally claimed it would have 267 miles of new fiber optic cable installed in Augusta County by the end of the 2024 calendar year. That hasn’t happened yet, and nobody appears to know why.
In Our View: States Should Consider Adopting Their Own Affordable Broadband Law in a New York Minute
Now that the lengthy legal beef has been settled and New York’s Affordable Broadband Act is set to take effect this month, it marks a potentially pivotal moment for other states to follow and improve upon in addressing one of the biggest barriers to broadband adoption: affordability.
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.