Broadband

Plus, Indiana is getting more than $81 million in broadband funding, new research suggests AI is directly related to digital equity, and more.

The county, southwest of Minneapolis-St. Paul, will use $1 million of the $2.5 million in federal funding to expand broadband access countywide. Among other work, its Sheriff’s Office will get $500,000 for records management.

A study by the Bureau of Sociological Research found the vast majority of 1,450 Nebraskans surveyed considered their home Internet service to be very reliable. But where they lived played a large role in their answers.

After delays in permitting, construction has started on the $50 million Vexus Fiber network. The company and city reached a franchise agreement in March 2022, and installation is expected to be fully completed during the next three years.

The funding from the Next Level Connections Broadband Grant Program is aimed at bringing Internet to more than 34,000 locations in 54 counties. Service providers and others can access it with a 20 percent match.

A multibillion-dollar plan to develop 10,000 miles of broadband infrastructure has hit financial headwinds, forcing the state to consider what not to build. Some construction is already underway.

Google Fiber has picked the North Carolina area for trials of its inaugural 20-gigabit Internet service. Commenced April 12, installations cost $250 a month and come from the company’s GFiber Labs division.

Plus, Washington launched a digital equity dashboard, Kansas announced funding for digital literacy, a Center for Tribal Digital Sovereignty was launched, and more.

Officials plan accurate speed tests to determine where high-speed Internet is lacking — and where best to deploy federal funding. The state is due to receive nearly $1.2 billion in Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment funding.

Plus, the FCC is updating its broadband data collection process, Texas has launched a dashboard on public library Internet speeds, Louisiana is offering online skills training, and more.

Plus, Nevada gets $250 million for broadband, data unveils the barriers to digital equity for Asian Americans, and the federal government is eyeing 6G.

The commitment from St. Tammany Parish will connect an area between Covington and Folsom, part of a plan to significantly boost Internet access to rural areas across the north shore of the Gulf.

The state and federal funding will drive deployment of high-speed Internet. The money, which comes in part from the American Rescue Plan Act, will be distributed by formula to unserved and underserved locations first.

The federal government’s approval of the second part of the state’s planning document clears the stage for its final proposal. The cycle will unlock nearly $1.2 billion to connect all Pennsylvania residents to the Internet.

Plus, states begin to see their initial proposals for the BEAD program accepted, broadband leadership is changing in Illinois, and more.

If passed, the Affordable Connectivity Program Extension Act of 2024 would appropriate $7 billion for fiscal year 2024 to save pandemic-era funds that helped families connect to the Internet.

A public-private partnership involving two state agencies and a broadband technology provider will lay more than 400 miles of fiber-optic conduit on three Arizona interstates. It will link connected vehicles as well as homes and businesses.

A challenge process open until May 18 enables local governments, tribal nations and other groups to work with the state on charting where high-speed Internet is available. The process will ultimately free up millions in federal funding.