Network

Three fiber-optic network providers that will offer high-speed Internet in Colorado Springs have launched construction or are poised to begin as they race to capture customers in various parts of the region.

Greenup is the third county in the area to announce Internet expansion plans recently. Internet provider Kinetic will connect approximately 7,400 homes and businesses with high-speed fiber Internet by the end of the year.

The political sparring underscores how tenuous the state of broadband remains in Texas, where some 2.8 million homes do not have access to high-speed Internet, according to the comptroller's office.

Students of the new program will go through an approximately 12-week interactive learning course that includes the design, installation and service of broadband networks. The program will serve as an industry talent pipeline.

The Walla Walla Community Council is inviting community members to participate in a 26-week study focusing on access to broadband Internet and digital literacy for area residents, businesses and organizations.

Plus, funding for broadband continues to make its way from the federal government through the states, the Federal Communications Commission has announced even more broadband support, and more.

At its core, a broadband advisory board is made up of individuals from different sectors who advise state broadband programs, governors or legislatures. However, not all advisory boards are the same.

Homes and businesses across Bakersfield would get the option of contracting high-speed Internet service as part of a $400 million fiber-optics system a Delaware-based company is negotiating.

Plus, a new study looks into characteristics of the digital divide in counties, planning for Digital Inclusion Week 2022 is now underway, the White House awards $119M in grants to tribal communities, and more.

According to industry experts, the answer varies based on each state or community's needs, and some examples include obtaining federal broadband funding, creating long-term plans and anticipating future challenges.

The National Digital Inclusion Alliance has released its annual list of cities that meet its criteria for digital inclusion trailblazers, and this year’s group is the largest yet, featuring 32 local or regional governments.

Alaska leaders are stepping up efforts to land a giant chunk of more than $65 billion that's available to improve broadband service across the U.S., largely through last year's infrastructure bill.

Despite a cease and desist order issued by Connecticut utility regulators last month and a $5 million fine, installation of fiber-optic cable by Frontier Communications is continuing, according to a company spokeswoman.

Plus, the White House announces $401 million in broadband funding now headed toward rural areas, a strong majority of adults in the U.S. now considers high-speed Internet a necessity, and much more.

A Denver company, Eucast Global, is introducing “network in a box” technology from South Korea that it claims can bridge the state’s digital divide in a more affordable and robust way than alternatives on the market.

Since pausing expansion efforts in 2016, Google Fiber has slowly resumed adding new cities and even has plans to add some more this year. But why did it pause, and which cities will get the high-speed service next?

Digital equity advocates say this may be the single largest dispersion of federal grant money to one local-level organization in the space, and as such, it may serve as a model for others going forward.

Plus, Michigan's high-speed Internet office has hired its first chief connectivity officer, the Biden administration earmarks $10 million grants to expand broadband to minority communities, and more.