Broadband

Plus, Baltimore unveils a new data dashboard related to traffic stops; a Tennessee accelerator pushes to boost tech companies in the state; New Mexico seeks to improve Internet access and more.

Many cities in Cheshire County, N.H., are funding high-speed Internet networks via municipal bonds through local banks, while others are signing public-private partnerships with ISPs. Both models have pros and cons.

The Pennsylvania Association of Intermediate Units and Penn State Extension are gathering data about numbers of students, household devices and Internet access that may later aid the distribution of grant funds.

Jason Clarke, chief information officer of Delaware since November 2020, explains the pandemic’s impact on state jobs, what employees’ work will look like going forward and where Delaware stands on broadband.

The U.S. is wary of 5G tech from China, but industry experts ask if it’s possible to guarantee software is free of components from a particular country. Plus, they ask, when something goes wrong with 5G applications’ security, who’s to blame?

New Orleans recently collected smart city proposals to achieve broadband equity in the city. However, it’s unclear how the city will ensure data privacy as it unfolds the broad urban tech initiative.

Wireless Internet hot spots have been activated along Route 40, the historic National Highway that passes through Fayette County, Pa., as more remote parts of Pennsylvania find their own solutions to getting online.

The Federal Communications Commission has announced rules for its new Emergency Connectivity Fund, which will distribute $7.17 billion announced earlier this year for school broadband and devices.

West Virginia Department of Economic Development Secretary Mitch Carmichael unveiled a four-prong approach to spending $138 million of federal American Rescue Plan Act funds to expand broadband Internet in the state.

The Ohio House on Wednesday voted overwhelmingly to send Gov. Mike DeWine a bill to immediately spend $20 million to expand access to broadband Internet in rural and other underserved areas.

Residents will be eligible to receive federal subsidies for Internet and devices beginning May 12 under a program aimed at helping households struggling to stay connected during the COVID-19 pandemic.

With a focus on Internet quality and resiliency, Sen. Sean Ryan and Rep. Nily Rozic want to give the New York Public Service Commission more regulatory power over broadband service companies.

Following a 2019 pilot study, Pharr, Texas, will move forward with a program aimed at providing high-speed Internet access to all of its residents in a region that lags far behind the national average for connectivity.

With the goal of boosting high-speed Internet service during the COVID-19 pandemic, San Diego loosened its rules Tuesday that govern how communications companies can install new infrastructure.

A newly proposed bill could establish the Maine Connectivity Authority and authorize it to build physical infrastructure, provide grants and loans for broadband projects, and build partnerships to expand Internet service in the state.

The discussion as well as the demonstrated need surrounding high-speed Internet access — a need that is particularly great in Maine’s more rural areas — have far outmatched the public investment.

The eighth annual Smart Cities Connect Conference & Expo opened with a panel discussion around digital equity and the need for all communities to expand access to broadband as they emerge from the COVID-19 crisis.

With society rapidly digitizing and high-speed Internet access fast-becoming a vital utility, government must work to balance the needs of underserved populations with financial realities.