Digital Equity

Nearly 100,000 Erie County residents, and millions more in rural communities nationwide, will lose low-cost Internet service if Congress fails to reauthorize the Affordable Connectivity Program in the coming months.

The Greater Peoria Economic Development Council is seeking input on current Internet access. This survey is being conducted as part of Project Broadband Breakthrough, which focuses on how broadband access impacts rural life.

Google’s Internet service arm has been approved to start its multiyear engineering and permitting process in some areas of Clark County, Nev., and could launch by mid-2025.

The nonprofit Internet Safety Labs found that exposure to trackers and behavioral ads on school devices vary by race and income, and often the source of the problem is the school’s own official website.

The Willmar City Council is set to consider a proposal for an open-access broadband network throughout the city. The network would be owned by the city and managed by Internet service provider Hometown Fiber.

Google Fiber representatives are going before the Clark County Commission next week to get approval to build the infrastructure needed to provide another Internet option for Las Vegas residents.

The deadline to sign up for benefits under the Affordable Connectivity Program is looming. Applicants have until Feb. 7 to enroll in the program that is set to expire later this year without legislative action.

A Jan. 22 report from the Office of Educational Technology and Office of Special Education Programs dispels the myths of assistive technology devices and shares improvements that experts have witnessed in that space.

During a meeting last week, the Oklahoma Broadband Governing Board approved $374 million in ARPA funds to go toward 142 broadband service expansion projects in 57 counties.

As states work to make use of federal broadband funding, a stipulation that the money can't be used for wireless networks is shortsighted and could hinder high-speed Internet access for those who need it now.

A free Chromebook computer along with a year of free Internet access will be given to anyone who finishes all 15 hours of a new digital literacy course that's kicking off at a library in Massachusetts this month.

Plus, the U.S. Conference of Mayors has launched a digital equity challenge, a report found that nearly 90 percent of Michigan jobs require digital skills, North Carolina gets $82 million in broadband funding, and more.

Anne Arundel County officials and members of the library system handed out more than 200 Chromebooks at the Linthicum library location as part of a program aiming to bridge digital and Internet access gaps.

A 113-page descriptive and prescriptive document from the U.S. Department of Education lays out a plan for the nation’s school districts to close the digital divide in how technology is designed, accessed and used.

Residents in northern Macomb County and the surrounding region could see increased broadband access in the near future due to the efforts of town and county officials and Internet service provider Comcast.

The Affordable Connectivity Program provides financial assistance to help low-income Americans connect to the Internet. But, without new appropriations, the program will soon run out of money.

Plus, federal agencies applaud preservation reviews for broadband infrastructure, a statewide survey shows a narrowing of the digital divide in California, and more.

Plus, a new fact sheet from the FCC looks at the future of the ACP; California launches a website to track infrastructure investment; the White House puts $80 million toward wireless innovation; and more.