- Broadband Leaders Convene
- Digital Accessibility Deadline Delayed
- Millions for Kansas Broadband
- Broadband Legislation Updates
- Communities Gain Fiber Access
BROADBAND LEADERS CONVENE
The National Governors Association (NGA), a bipartisan organization representing gubernatorial leadership across U.S. states and territories, convened state broadband officials, federal partners and Internet service providers to share information and best practices in broadband deployment and workforce development.
“Throughout my time in Congress, I constantly heard from families, from farmers, from small-business owners about what connectivity, or the lack thereof, meant for them,” Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger said in a statement.
Participants from the FCC, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration provided updates on federal broadband programs such as the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program, the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund, the Middle Mile program, the Capital Projects Fund and ReConnect. Private-sector organizations that participated included Comcast, AT&T and USTelecom.
This is the fifth NGA Broadband Leaders Workshop. Last year, the event was held in Columbus, Ohio; the year prior, it was held in Overland Park, Kan.
NGA supports governors’ work to bridge digital inequities through various programs, gatherings and initiatives, including the Workforce Innovation Network, which serves as a nonpartisan collaborative for state leaders to advance workforce development through support services and skills development.
Also, last year, leaders of NGA’s Economic Development and Revitalization Task Force urged members of Congress to support the gubernatorial priority of broadband access.
DIGITAL ACCESSIBILITY DEADLINE DELAYED
Some organizations have criticized the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ)’s decision to extend the deadline for state and local government to meet digital accessibility standards.
Government readiness for the deadline varied, so the extension is intended “to provide relief to entities that have been unable to comply to date,” according to the DOJ document.
The American Association of People with Disabilities President and CEO Maria Town called the extension a “profound disappointment” and a “serious setback” in a statement.
“State and local governments have known since at least the Obama administration that accessible websites were not optional and that web accessibility requirements were coming,” Town said, noting that delaying the timeline days before the original deadline creates confusion rather than offering support.
The American Council of the Blind issued a statement of strong opposition to the delay, arguing that it denies timely access to essential government services for people with disabilities.
Notably, the final rule issued in 2024 clarified specific technical requirements for governments’ digital content, but the Americans with Disabilities Act has prevented discrimination in services provided by state and local governments since it became law in 1990.
As one stakeholder — Becky Rehorn, founder of the Accessible Organizations Group — put it in a post on LinkedIn: “The deadline just moved to 2027. The obligation has not moved since 1990.”
MILLIONS FOR KANSAS BROADBAND
Kansas has announced that $16.3 million in funding is available for broadband infrastructure through the Broadband Acceleration Grant (BAG) program, which is intended to offset high costs for building networks in places with low population density, like rural communities in the state.
The BAG program, now in its sixth year, is funded through the bipartisan Eisenhower Legacy Transportation Program.
The grant application period is April 27-June 12. The Kansas Office of Broadband Development will host a webinar at 1 p.m. April 27 to provide key information for the application process, such as revised program guidelines and its scoring rubric, timeline and eligibility requirements.
BROADBAND LEGISLATION UPDATES
This week, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Rural Broadband Protection Act, which now awaits a signature from the president. If enacted, the legislation would require the FCC to strengthen the Internet service provider vetting process for those seeking Universal Service Fund program funding.
“Better vetting of providers’ capabilities before they are awarded such funds is good public policy and common sense,” NTCA—The Rural Broadband Association CEO Mike Romano said in a statement celebrating the bill’s advancement.
In related news, two broadband permitting bills have passed in the House as part of a package of legislation: House Resolution 1681 and House Resolution 1343.
“[The Wireless Infrastructure Association] strongly supports these commonsense permitting reforms and urges the Senate to advance this legislation without delay,” Mike Saperstein, the organization’s senior vice president of government affairs and chief strategy officer, said in a statement.
COMMUNITIES GAIN FIBER ACCESS
Providers continue fiber broadband network deployment in communities across the U.S.
The city of Brownsville, Texas, has been investing in fiber broadband in recent years, working to shed a 2014 designation as the “worst connected city” and establish itself as a smart city. Officials have made progress, with at least 100 miles of city-owned fiber network in place.
Now, the city has been awarded nearly $22 million in Texas Middle Mile Program funding to expand its Broadband Fiber Project.
Race Communications has started construction on an all-fiber network in Bakersfield, Calif., which will bring Internet to more than 50,000 homes and businesses in the city. The first customers are slated to be connected by the end of the summer.
And Wire 3 is bringing a fiber network to Albany, Ga., which is expected to deliver high-speed connectivity for more than 37,000 homes and businesses.
