Broadband

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.

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.

An interactive online map shows progress made by a handful of Internet service providers laying fiber optic cable to reach homes and businesses in southeast Michigan with high-speed Internet.

Plus, the FCC is investigating Comcast for its diversity commitment, the Houston Mayor’s Office for Adult Literacy held its second digital symposium, Mississippi has awarded funding for 12 broadband projects, and more.

Final agreements between Frontier Communications and the Greene County Economic Development Group have been reached and, after roughly four years in process, construction is close to getting underway.

Plus, Elon Musk has made a cryptic statement about the future of GSA’s 18F team and the Direct File program, Maryland has established a statewide digital infrastructure group, and more.

Local officials and Internet service providers say the $42.45 billion federal Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program has ancillary benefits. It helps link residents to other vital services.

Plus, Massachusetts and Texas have announced digital equity funding, the General Services Administration has made staff appointments, the FCC chairman rejects rulemaking proposal, and more.

A panel at the Future of Education Technology Conference in Orlando last week offered tips on planning for the future of broadband, while cautioning attendees that aspects of the E-rate program are in political jeopardy.

Plus, a new executive order from President Donald Trump calls for a pause on Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding, NDIA has announced Digital Inclusion Trailblazers, Maine supports digital education and more.

Plus, $117 million in NTIA grants go out, Indiana funds county broadband expansion, the E-BRIDGE Act is now the law of the land, new legislation aims to support rural broadband development, and more.

As COVID-19 pandemic relief funds expire, a new State Educational Technology Directors Association report outlines a path toward permanent funding for K-12 universal connectivity and related digital access measures.

The outgoing administration may have notched a win with its elevation of broadband as a societal necessity, but observers were critical of other aspects of its plan to expand the technology nationwide.

Plus, the BEAD Progress Dashboard gets updated this week, a comprehensive report examines website accessibility across government, and one Georgia county gets to work on digital inclusion.

When an Internet service provider was unable to comply with contract language, commissioners in Ashtabula County decided to rebid the project. This time, companies can bid on smaller portions of the initiative.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is sending more than $44 million in grant money to Minnesota to help people in rural communities access high-speed broadband.

A federal appeals court on Thursday dealt a blow to President Biden's Federal Communications Commission, striking down the agency's hard-fought and long-debated open Internet rules.

In his final State of the City address this year, Mayor Richard Irvin said his city is “becoming a city of bytes, bandwidth and breakthroughs,” highlighting its work expanding broadband access and modernizing its online presence.