Network

The Missouri Department of Economic Development this week announced that more than $5.6 million was awarded for projects in Lawrence County and more than $9.5 million was awarded for projects in five counties.

The cities of Lewiston and Auburn will be at the center of a new fiber-optic broadband network being built by GoNetspeed. The work is expected to begin later this year, the company said.

The $72 million effort on the part of Cleveland Utilities and the municipal government is facing opposition from three conservative groups who say the move pits the government against private businesses and could compromise customer privacy.

The upgrades come as a followup to a study by the county last year that, according to preliminary results, determined as much as 71 percent of the area is underserved by existing broadband infrastructure.

With the completion of the city’s fiber-optic network approaching, city staff have recommended that a public-private partnership would be much more cost effective to operate when compared to a city-run service.

Almost two months after the FCC released its new broadband map, state governments have submitted “bulk challenges” as part of a requirement to receive BEAD funding.

Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar this week released the Texas Broadband Development Map, which sought to identify the availability of various types of high-speed Internet access across the state.

Plus, local leaders in Phoenix have teamed up to tackle digital equity in the region, registration is now open for the NDIA's annual Net Inclusion event, some stakeholders want more time on the FCC map process, and more.

An overview of the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program’s goals, requirements, and other considerations.

Plus, a new piece of legislation would create a digital equity division for Washington, D.C.; an Indiana data map includes 12 different digital equity variables within the state’s counties; and more.

Plus, a federal report has found that more workers will be needed in order to deploy the massive investment the country is making in broadband, the FCC has opened a comment cycle for broadband labeling, and more.

The LaCrosse County Board of Supervisors took the first step toward becoming a “Broadband Forward! Community,” which is meant to indicate reduced administrative barriers to Internet service providers.

During a recent Brookings Institute event, a former FCC chair and a former chief of the FCC’s Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau said that features that make 5G compelling also create different kinds of cybersecurity risks to address.

With a large amount of funding on the way, the Public Service Commission is urging Wisconsin’s residents and businesses to badger the FCC by verifying the accuracy and submitting challenges.

Plus, New York reaches a critical milestone in its ongoing broadband connection efforts; Colorado offers more broadband grants; the NTIA highlights 40 local government digital inclusion resources; and more.

During a U.S. Senate subcommittee hearing titled “Ensuring Solutions to Meet America’s Broadband Needs,” witnesses testified that barriers must be addressed for federal funding to see its target impact reached.

Oregon U.S. Senator Ron Wyden and federal broadband officials will host a virtual discussion for input on the design of new broadband maps that accurately capture where dead spots must be addressed.

The Federal Communications Commission released its updated National Broadband Map last month and West Virginia officials are asking residents to log on and report inaccuracies about their Internet service.