Digital Equity

Oregon State University’s inaugural AI Week features several panels on artificial intelligence led by faculty and tech industry leaders. It culminates Friday with the first edition of a yearly forum, and groundbreaking on an innovation complex.

In a presentation Monday at the National School Boards Association conference in New Orleans, Lawrence Public Schools officials explained how building a private fiber network improved digital equity and saved money.

Due to a lack of funding, the FCC recently froze enrollment in the Affordable Connectivity Program, announcing that it will only be fully funded through the month of April.

With the help of a grant, the public library in Glenmora, La., has deployed telehealth kiosks to its branches, offering equipment like blood pressure measuring cuffs and scales for residents to use.

VR headsets and 3D printers help the Verizon Innovation Learning Lab create interest in STEM at the Dorothy Height Charter School. Educators and school leaders toured it during the National School Boards Association Annual Conference.

Plus, the FCC is preparing for a vote that could restore rules around net neutrality, state digital equity plans are continuing to be accepted, and more.

The City Council on Tuesday voted in favor of hiring Nebraska-based Allo Missouri to lay fiber-optic broadband. A final vote will happen at the council’s next meeting and build-out is expected to take approximately two years.

The NOTICE Coalition, on behalf 42 advocacy organizations representing various student groups, argued in a letter to the U.S. Department of Education that AI-powered security systems violate privacy and human rights.

Through the Federal Communications Commission, the Biden administration warned Congress Tuesday the Affordable Connectivity Program, which serves 760,000 Pennsylvania families, is within weeks of ending due to a lack of funding.

Plus, a mapping tool helps inform the permitting process, tribes in New Mexico get $10 million for digital equity, and more.

In a virtual panel hosted by e.Republic, the Center for Digital Education’s parent company, ed-tech leaders shared thoughts and advice on AI, cybersecurity, the looming fiscal cliff and the importance of collaboration.

Company officials hope a combination of in-person and online educator training, focused on math and less-experienced teachers, will help to address a teacher shortage and declining math scores.

Plus, stakeholders continue to push for more ACP funding as the program winds down, Connecticut releases $41 million for broadband, and San Antonio is supporting small businesses with digital skills training.

In recognition of Women’s History Month and Expanding Girls’ Horizons in Science and Engineering Month, Microsoft, Code Ninjas and the nonprofit Girls Who Code are sponsoring girls who enter a game-design challenge.

In remarks Monday at the California Public Sector CIO Academy, state CIO Liana Bailey-Crimmins discussed results from a new statewide emergency alert system, and the importance of harnessing artificial intelligence and generative AI.

Telecommunications and tech services company C Spire will build 90 miles of fiber and infrastructure in Meridian, bringing multi-gigabit-speed fiber Internet to thousands of homes. Construction for some neighborhoods will wrap as soon as June.

The Affordable Connectivity Program provides $30-a-month subsidies and requires Internet providers to offer packages as low as $30 a month to those households to make it more affordable to needy families.

Almost everything we do requires Internet connectivity, from applying to a job, fulfilling work obligations, booking doctor’s appointments, banking, watching TV and even staying connected with family.