Broadband and Network
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The Solano County census-designated place will get fiber-based broadband Internet, officials said last week. Internet service provider Comcast will lay cables, filling service gaps revealed during the COVID-19 pandemic. -
A service provider is seeking to expand high-speed Internet to underserved areas in at least a half-dozen counties. If its applications are approved, the expansion would focus on rural areas.
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Digital navigators across the country show up for their communities by teaching the technical skills people need in an increasingly digital world.
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A plan to expand high-speed fiber-optic Internet service to rural portions of six nearby counties was unanimously endorsed by the Grand Traverse County Board of Commissioners Wednesday.
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Plus, Baltimore has a new broadband report, Seattle awards funds for digital equity, the FCC has announced staffing changes, a survey found trust in digital government services is under 50 percent, and more.
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The company has committed $5 billion by 2030 to address the digital gap, leaning on initiatives like Connected Learning Centers and online resources promoting digital literacy.
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Officials will advance digital equity work in coming months, and initiatives to improve residents’ experience — in person, using artificial intelligence for translation services, and online with a website refresh.
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Evan Feinman, director of the federal Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program, has stepped down. He offered advice to stakeholders to mitigate any impacts on states from its pause.
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Plus, Vermont has started work on its Digital Empowerment Plan; a new bill aims to prevent FCC from censoring broadcasters; Sonoma County, Calif., has approved offering some residents free Internet; and more.
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The Oklahoma Broadband Office and AT&T will use federal American Rescue Plan Act and matching funds to deploy high-speed Internet across five local governments. The endeavor was announced Friday in Latimer County.
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The state’s Broadband Development Office is advising entities that are considering applying to await clarification on the program’s future.
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North Carolina’s Office of Digital Opportunity director has been elevated to deputy secretary for NCDIT’s Division of Broadband and Digital Opportunity. There, she will oversee state and federal broadband investment.
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The $34 million ErieNet project, which benefited from federal American Rescue Plan funding, should wrap in October. A publicly owned network, it will lay hundreds of miles of fiber-optic cable, reaching all parts of the county.
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One out of 10 city residents don’t have a computer at home, but the city’s new digital equity plan seeks to change that via spending, expanded computer labs, the appointment of a new equity leader and more.
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Plus, the National Digital Inclusion Alliance launched a map of affiliates, Utah libraries have new digital resources, and broadband legislation — one of which addresses the future of the BEAD program — has been introduced.
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The Willmar City Council voted 4-3 this week to move ahead with a $24.5 million broadband project that would see the construction of an open-access, city-owned fiber-optic network.
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A conservative-leaning FCC, coupled with legal and congressional challenges, have created uncertainty around the E-rate program that funds school broadband. Experts say districts will need local funding and community partnerships to fill the gap.
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Plus, E-rate program funding is at risk, broadband legislation has been introduced, Massachusetts debuts connectivity initiative, materials from the Office of Educational Technology are once again available, and more.
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For years, residents of remote Beaver Island more than 30 miles offshore from the mainland in northern Lake Michigan have said they want better Internet access.
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A massive federal program meant to expand broadband access to underserved areas across the country is falling behind schedule, state broadband officials and experts say.
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Advancing broadband deployment and equity means expanding the technology to institutions like correctional facilities, panelists said at the recent Expanding Digital Opportunity: Charting a Path Toward Full Inclusion conference.
