Network

The city has finished its portion of a fiber-optic ring that will link south Hampton Roads cities. The 18-mile build, part of a more than 100-mile endeavor, will also connect with undersea transatlantic cables.

The Bay Area Rapid Transit system has introduced new features to make paying, booking and going online at BART stations more convenient. Five heavily traveled stations now offer free Wi-Fi.

Workers have laid 100 miles of city-owned fiber, city CIO Jorge Cardenas said, and some 6,000 customers have signed up for Omni Fiber high-speed Internet. A private 5G cell network is in the works.

Plus, the debate around congressionally approved federal broadband funding continues, a report highlights access barriers for government services, a Massachusetts tool shows progress on broadband, and more.

Plus, policymakers call for the release of federal broadband funding, a report examines the "dig once" rule's impact, Internet service providers can join an initiative to help combat sex trafficking, and more.

A new report finds labor still accounts for a large portion of the cost of deploying the necessary infrastructure. But advocates say technology is worth it, given the resiliency and future-proofing it offers.

Even with nearly 10,000 active Starlink satellites in orbit and the OneWeb constellation of 650 satellites, solid Internet coverage is not a given across vast swaths of the planet.

The state has received final federal approval on how it plans to spend nearly $149 million to expand Internet access statewide. The funds come from the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program.

Plus, federal legislation supporting rural Internet access gets introduced, Utah’s legislature will consider a law establishing digital literacy education, Texas is investing millions in broadband expansion, and more.

Hawaii has received federal approval to begin spending nearly $149 million to expand high-speed Internet statewide, marking one of the largest digital infrastructure investments in state history.

The City Council approved giving OnLight Aurora, set up to manage the city’s fiber network, $80,000 via either a loan or grant. A key issue, an alderman said, is getting the organization back on track.

Plus, New York has reopened applications for grants through its ConnectALL program, New Mexico celebrated progress on connectivity expansion, fiber networks continue expanding to new locations, and more.

All middle-mile construction is now either built or funded, an official said. The next step is last-mile work, bringing actual connections to homes, and meeting with stakeholders to gather infrastructure data.

The broadband and telecommunications company Brightspeed, which is based in the North Carolina city, is probing multiple reports its customers may have been victimized by a data breach.

TDS Telecommunications LLC has announced that Mooresville High School, part of the Mooresville Graded School District in North Carolina, is the recipient of its $10,000 TDS STEM-Ed grant.

Plus, New Mexico has launched its three-year broadband plan, North Carolina has debuted a program to expand Internet access in rural communities, a report shows progress on broadband expansion, and more.

The City Council is set to consider financial support for OnLight Aurora, a city-connected organization established to manage Aurora’s fiber network, amid ongoing budgetary issues at the organization.

State committees have, in the last year, examined topics ranging from agricultural security to cybersecurity. The annual threat assessment is required to precede the governor’s State of the State address.