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Plus, a broadband report card ranks ARPA-funded projects, more states see their initial proposals for BEAD funding approved, $2.7 million will support libraries’ digital literacy programming, and more.
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Buoyed by unprecedented federal funding as well as a widely accepted understanding that Internet is a fundamental part of modern life, states and cities confront the remaining obstacles to getting everyone online.
Parts of Pierce County might get access to faster Internet later this year, as crews begin building the infrastructure needed for broadband services to reach communities lacking access.
Plus, the FCC is taking steps to update broadband data collection, more states have had their initial proposals for BEAD funding approved, Oakland got a grant to expand broadband infrastructure, and more.
Provider Comcast will deploy fiber across the city starting in the southwest, covering about one mile a day. It’s part of a broadband expansion that will include all or parts of Corcoran, Cologne, Grant, Hugo, Rogers, and Stillwater Township.
Plus, initial proposals for BEAD program funding have been approved in two more states, findings from a new report emphasize the role libraries play in bridging the digital divide, and more.
Bids to date would put the total cost of the middle-mile fiber-optic network at $1.87 million. That’s less than the $2.2 million projected. If awarded, the contracts will connect as many as 865 homes and businesses to the city-owned system.
The list of potential uses for any leftover BEAD funding includes digital equity, and one state has a plan that would direct the money toward the work for years to come.
Plus, Massachusetts has added three members to its digital accessibility board, a federal resource on digital literacy aims to support community needs, and more.
A $45.5 million grant from the state and the Massachusetts Broadband Institute will pay for high-speed Internet for Pioneer Valley communities. Four Internet service providers will make the installations in about 2,000 locations.
Whitfield County Board of Commissioners Chairman Jevin Jensen recently said that no resident within the county should be "left behind" when it comes to broadband Internet access.
Closing the digital divide has become a public responsibility, which was made clear during the pandemic when online access became essential for schooling, for working and for accessing health care.
Plus, the USDA is providing $25 million for rural broadband; Pennsylvania offers $20 million worth of devices; Raleigh, N.C., gets a state grant; and more.
A grant of nearly $3.8 million from the Nebraska Capital Projects Fund will deliver fiber optics to a 70-square-mile area around Stromsburg and southwest Osceola. It includes 176 homes deemed “unserved” by fiber.
The California Public Utilities Commission has awarded $45 million in grant funding to three regional Internet service providers, the Monterey Bay Economic Partnership announced recently.
The grants range between $75,000 and $150,000 each, and they are spread out between 10 different cities across the country, many of which are working to boost digital skills training.
