Digital Equity

Maryland announced Tuesday that its Department of Housing and Community Development’s Office of Statewide Broadband would be administering grants totaling nearly $30 million to support network infrastructure projects.

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill Tuesday to spend $6 billion over the next three years expanding broadband access throughout the state, prioritizing unserved, underserved and rural communities.

Lawmakers had previously decided on leadership for a new broadband agency equipped with $150 million and tasked with a mandate to achieve universal high-speed Internet throughout all of Maine.

Plus, Columbus, Ohio, announces a partnership aimed at collecting data on gun violence throughout the city, and Pittsburgh, Pa., launches a new "Universal Basic Mobility" pilot program for low-income residents.

To complete the expansion of broadband access to the remaining residential clusters in South Carolina would cost more than $600 million, according to a state agency tasked with expanding high-speed Internet.

A new state law creating a matching grants program could help leverage up to $100 million in federal support to expand high-speed Internet service to all corners of the state, according to Gov. Chris Sununu.

The federal money, which the county received as a result of American Rescue Plan Act, will be used as matching funds to support broadband expansion projects in Eau Claire County, Wis., towns.

In an effort to close the digital divide, the scope of which was revealed when classes moved online during COVID-19, the university is making all new freshman and transfer students eligible for free tablets.

The nonprofit EveryoneOn has helped more than 800,000 Americans find low-cost Internet service and digital resources, and its outreach has only become more important for K-12 students with the advent of remote education.

Seminole County, Fla., opened a computer lab on Monday to help residents apply for rental, utility and mortgage assistance, a recognition of the “digital divide” that exists within the region.

Recent legislation that intends to close the digital divide still comes with gaps, as Republicans and telecommunications companies oppose municipal broadband as well as regulations to ensure everyone can afford it.

An Indiana-based Internet/cable TV provider is no longer planning to offer service throughout the city of Mankato, but Consolidated Communications is rapidly installing fiber-optic cable both there and in North Mankato.

One of the most troubling broadband disparities is that faced by poor or rural schoolchildren. About 90 percent of Oklahoma's school districts are considered partly or entirely rural.

Plus, North Carolina unveils its new state Office of Digital Equity and Literacy; San Jose, Calif., announces a new donation adding up to a $250,000 boost for its San Jose Digital Inclusion Fund; and more.

The Biden administration’s proposals to increase funding for physical assets like roads are essential, but should not overshadow the need for digital infrastructure to maximize technology, equity and transparency.

A proposal at the state level to limit local governments in providing broadband services was removed from the final budget agreement. Municipal customers and local officials lobbied vigorously against the effort.

Funds from the university's public-private partnership will go toward seven initiatives, including faculty research projects, space research, a health data resource and understanding student equity.

A new resource center at the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library aims to help bridge a gap that exists when it comes to accessing popular business and legal information online.