Infrastructure

Community Connect, a grants program through the U.S. Department of Agriculture, has awarded Internet service provider Loveland Pulse more than $1 million to extend broadband to residents of Big Thompson Canyon and to Viestenz-Smith Mountain Park.

The funding includes nearly $7 million for the Lowell Regional Transit Authority, which already has a hybrid-electric bus up and running. There’s also around $15 million for energy-efficient upgrades to school district HVAC systems.

Streetlamps in Rumford, Maine, shine with 5G wireless connectivity, strengthening the community’s communications system. A public-private partnership has enabled officials to use the lights as wireless communication nodes.

Artificial intelligence is poised to become the next big energy hog and data centers stand to challenge sustainability goals. Some processing demands, however, can be shifted to periods when demand is low.

The company, recognized by the federal government for intersection safety tools, has brought in capital from the venture arms of two big telecommunications firms. The money will help Derq further expand in North America, the CEO says.

The company, best known for its budgeting, planning and procurement tools, has teamed with pipeline inspection firm ITpipes. The deal is a result of an OpenGov gov tech acquisition in 2022.

Sila Nanotechnology is renovating a factory in Moses Lake, Wash., to make silicon anodes for lithium-ion batteries. Officials must train the skilled workforce the renewable energy industry needs, and they must secure energy sources.

The state of Maine will get more than $65 million in federal funding for so-called “smart grid” technology to more quickly link solar panels and wind turbines to utilities’ electricity systems.

The Bay Area city is making high-speed Internet more accessible with projects focused on affordability and service delivery and aimed at closing the digital divide. A California Public Utilities Commission grant is among the funding sources.

The project’s parent company recently pitched four new buildings to town officials, for an artificial intelligence data center. Currently, four buildings on the 30-acre site house bitcoin mining; a fifth should be finished next year.

The school districts have created initiatives in technology, leadership and equity. As part of Digital Promise’s 2024-25 cohort, they will gain access to its resources to continue their work and connect with other educators.

The electric vehicle charging network is close to securing a federal Department of Energy loan and plans to stand up 7,500 high-speed chargers in five years. It and other companies are working to make charging simpler and more pleasant.

Per capita broadband infrastructure funding is highest in rural states, a new report finds, even though the digital divide exists in all areas. Reviews.org examines funding states are receiving from the $42.45 billion Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment Program.

To meet air quality permit requirements to run a green hydrogen facility in Massena, N.Y., Air Products will build electric vehicle charging stations in the town. The firm is developing more than 84 acres to produce liquid hydrogen using hydroelectric power.

Cyber threats to water systems, electrical grids and the space sector are on the rise, but new resources, policies and strategies could help.

An agreement with Gigapower LLC will lease unused fiber conduits, bringing high-speed Internet to residents, and swelling city coffers by nearly $8 million over 20 years. Officials have been looking to partner since 2020, to bring broadband to residents.

The U.S. Department of Energy approved $206.5 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to help the Alaska Energy Authority build a 38-mile submarine cable across Cook Inlet from roughly Nikiski to Beluga.

Data centers like the proposed one that sparked controversy in Fort Worth last week are putting a strain on power grids and water resources, and state lawmakers are considering restrictions on such facilities.