Infrastructure

Roughly half the funding from the federal infrastructure package will be dispersed through the U.S. Department of Transportation, handing the agency a once-in-a-generation opportunity to rethink the U.S. transportation system.

Louisiana's Office of Broadband Development and Connectivity is running a new grant program called Granting Unserved Municipalities Broadband Opportunities (GUMBO). First-round grant winners will be announced in March.

The Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority published a report showing that phishing attacks pose a significant threat to state utilities. Cyber training was highly recommended for all utility organizations.

Much attention has been given to the billions the bill will put toward bridges, cybersecurity and more. But behind the big-ticket items are many small projects. Here are some that will impact state and local government.

Through a survey, the city of Eagle, Idaho, is now gauging citizen interest in a community-owned fiber system that would promote competition between multiple broadband providers through an open access network.

AT&T and Verizon have denied a request from the federal government to delay the launch of a new 5G mobile service that could disrupt air travel, but the two companies would pause 5G deployment near specified airports.

Federal Communications Commission Chair Jessica Rosenworcel recently responded to a congressional letter requesting a timeline for critical FCC broadband map updates. No dates were provided in the response.

To make freeways safer for road workers, Connecticut is installing work zone cameras as part of a pilot program next year. Critics have raised privacy concerns, and others have claimed the program is a money scheme.

Kansas wants to be a top 10 broadband leader in the U.S. by 2030. The state will soon release its first broadband strategy and leverage funding from the federal infrastructure bill and its own grant program.

The regional transportation plan of the San Diego Association of Governments has several issues: not enough riders, low demand and an uncertain time frame. The association should take a harder look at the evidence.

Plain Township is the latest local government in Stark County, Ohio, to embrace electric vehicles, installing two EV chargers at a shopping plaza. The chargers will be free to use for a few months.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has verbalized his opposition to a bill that would significantly expand consumer tax credits for electric vehicles and provide other financial support for the emerging EV industry.

After a year of facing legal opposition from determined residents of Dewey Beach, Del., Verizon has agreed to a settlement. The company has stated it will move five 5G poles off a beachfront.

Federal researchers have connected with utility provider EPB's fiber network that runs both its smart electric grid and a citywide high-speed broadband Internet network to find ways to defend the national power grid.

Appalachian Power believes it may have middle-mile infrastructure in place by February 2022 that would allow a provider to bring broadband service to two rural counties, Logan and Mingo, in West Virginia.

State officials are lauding the $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill as a chance to improve the state's rugged roads and broadband access. Both issues have long been a weak spot for the state.

The governor announced a state-endorsed push towards electric vehicles, including an increase in the number of public EV charging stations throughout the state. The program is being called “Drive Electric Alabama.”

Some Internet service providers in New York believe the billions of broadband dollars from the federal infrastructure bill could make the state a national leader in terms of finally closing the digital divide.