Broadband

Buoyed by a $102,000 state grant, a City Council working group on digital equity is helping develop a plan to ensure improved access to technology. Officials are also working with residents on a digital equity plan.

The Communications and Information Technology Committee approved three pacts, selecting the vendor that will engineer 170 miles of network to expand broadband citywide. Officials also approved a maintenance agreement, and one to connect homes and businesses in a pilot area.

Plus, additional states have been awarded federal funding from the Digital Equity Act; St. Louis, Mo., is installing free Wi-Fi in parks; Yolo County, Calif., preserves free digital literacy classes in Spanish; and more.

Plus, Massachusetts is investing in digital skills training; a partnership in Scranton, Pa., aims to create a universal network; the Federal Communications Commission looks to drive tribal participation in E-rate; and more.

Through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the state and local municipalities have access to loads of federal funding to help bring infrastructure, flood mitigation and Internet expansion projects to reality.

Design of a $17.8 million broadband expansion project is expected to be done this year, delivering high-speed Internet to 2,175 homes and businesses in Monongalia County. Officials will use $1.25 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds for the work.

County Council members have unanimously approved a contract with Verinext to offer managed service on top of existing security protocols. The action follows the recommendation of an audit last year to upgrade the cybersecurity network. A federal grant may pay roughly half the cost.

The partnership means Verizon’s fiber-optic high speed Internet will be available in every neighborhood, improving Internet speeds for remote work, remote schooling, telemedicine and much more.

Plus, Hawaii has launched a broadband mapping initiative, Boston has announced more than $1 million for digital equity, and more.

Internet service provider Archtop Fiber is looking to expand gigabit speed offerings into mid-Hudson and Catskill communities, officials have confirmed. The firm began installations in March for Midtown Kingston customers.

Plus, a federal digital equity program received hundreds of applications, a tracker illustrates the rising trend of digital service teams, new research quantifies the positive effects of fiber broadband on rural communities and more.

In 2021, state lawmakers passed a measure mandating reduced broadband rates for low-income customers. Industry has appealed, and it may head to the U.S. Supreme Court. Should the court hear it, long-standing questions could be answered.

The availability of more than $28 million in grant money is aimed at supporting the build-out of infrastructure. Greenwich, Conn., affluent but underserved, will get the most this round, approximately $1.8 million.

The state’s third most populous county is applying for a digital equity grant designed to further digital inclusion and equity. Currently, more than 19,000 residents lack broadband.

Plus, the U.S. Senate passes new broadband legislation, more federal broadband funding proposals get approved, Seattle launches an interoperable multilingual application process for low-cost Internet, and more.

Per capita broadband infrastructure funding is highest in rural states, a new report finds, even though the digital divide exists in all areas. Reviews.org examines funding states are receiving from the $42.45 billion Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment Program.

The underground blaze in downtown Sunday knocked out service to facilities around the state. Service levels may still vary, and some libraries may be temporarily closed.

An agreement with Gigapower LLC will lease unused fiber conduits, bringing high-speed Internet to residents, and swelling city coffers by nearly $8 million over 20 years. Officials have been looking to partner since 2020, to bring broadband to residents.