Network

The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors voted to allocate $500K in grant funding toward broadband access and to consolidate two county departments. The initiatives aim to better serve the county's residents.

Plus, the U.S. Department of Commerce will invest $1.5 million in tribal connectivity programs; Georgia awards $408 million to broadband grants; North Carolina announces $350 million of grant funding for broadband; and more.

A giant investment in rural Internet will wire over 132,000 homes and businesses across Georgia that currently lack access, connecting more than a quarter of the state’s locations that aren’t yet online.

Somerset County has agreed to pay the county’s $50,000 share of the study’s cost, aiming to determine what it would take to build an expansive fiber-optic “ring” from Cambria to Fulton County.

Middletown, Conn., has created a website for individuals, namely business and property owners, to apply for a slice of the city's $20 million in American Rescue Plan Act money. The city will also offer ARPA workshops.

Plus, a new bill proposal in the U.S. House would extend the lifespan of the Chief Data Officers Council; the Urban Libraries Council recognizes the top innovators of 2021 in digital equity; and more.

Aurora wishes to expand its fiber-optic network in multiple ways this year. Goals include connecting the municipal airport to the network and providing a single secure network for water and sewer systems.

Based on data that underrepresented youth have better education and employment outcomes when they have reliable access to “out of school time” activities, a project in Kansas City seeks to address transit barriers.

According to estimates from Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile, about 3.2 million people still use 3G devices. These customers could be left behind in terms of phone communications if they don't upgrade in 2022.

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers is encouraging all eligibile households to apply for the federal Affordable Connectivity Program, which recently replaced the Emergency Broadband Benefit Program.

If the Oregon cities of Astoria and Seaside decided to consolidate their emergency dispatch centers into one countywide center, challenges like interoperability and staff shortages could finally be addressed.

A recent U.S. Census survey shows that a significant amount of people struggle with Internet access across the country. Factors like race and income highlight a striking picture of the haves and the have-nots.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission wants to take the fight to hackers by developing cybersecurity standards that outline how U.S. power grids can search for intruders within networks.

Clay Garner began working with San Jose in 2019 as a tech policy analyst. He replaces Jordan Sun as the city’s chief innovation officer and comes to the position with a commitment to digital inclusion.

Although AT&T and Verizon received approval from the Federal Communications Commission to launch wide-scale 5G, some experts are concerned that 5G signals could dangerously interfere with flight landings.

Plus, Missouri names a new director for the state's Office of Broadband Development, a grant in the San Francisco area aims to expand digital skills training for incarcerated individuals, and more.

After an eight-year tenure as CIO of Chattanooga, Tenn., Brent Messer has left his role. His replacement is Tyson Morris, who serves as global head of architecture, platforms and marketing operations for Coca-Cola.

The Affordable Connectivity Program, created by the federal infrastructure bill, covers up to $30 a month of participants’ home broadband service and provides up to $100 to help purchase a device.