Network

County officials have voted to continue maintenance and support services contract for hundreds of network switches and routers throughout county government facilities with Cisco SMARTnet Support Services.

Plus, the U.S. Conference of Mayors has launched a digital equity challenge, a report found that nearly 90 percent of Michigan jobs require digital skills, North Carolina gets $82 million in broadband funding, and more.

At least 2,000 customers in Portland, Ore., have been without Internet or cable TV service since snow, ice and windstorms hit the region Jan. 13. Internet service providers say they expect to restore all service within the next few days.

The Affordable Connectivity Program that helped millions of households across the country — and 2.8 million in California — afford Internet access is ending, without additional funding from Congress.

Residents in northern Macomb County and the surrounding region could see increased broadband access in the near future due to the efforts of town and county officials and Internet service provider Comcast.

Plus, federal agencies applaud preservation reviews for broadband infrastructure, a statewide survey shows a narrowing of the digital divide in California, and more.

Native nations historically have lagged in access to high-speed Internet, because of the cost and incomplete broadband coverage data, among other barriers.

Dallas-based Sprocket Networks is about to begin work on a roughly 300-mile fiber-optic cable network that will extend high-speed Internet to areas of the city where it’s not already readily available.

Plus, a new fact sheet from the FCC looks at the future of the ACP; California launches a website to track infrastructure investment; the White House puts $80 million toward wireless innovation; and more.

Gov. Mike DeWine on Tuesday announced a $10 million state grant to help deliver affordable broadband to every home in the city. The grant funds come from a wing of the Ohio Department of Development known as BroadbandOhio.

Efforts to extend broadband to unserved parts of the county are underway with the Cooke County Commissioners Court working on new language for a request for bids to provide better Internet service to underserved areas.

Construction is expected to begin this year on a project that will allow multiple Internet service providers to operate on the same infrastructure. The project will be financed through general obligation bonds.

As the outage persists and people say they lack firm answers on when it will end, members of a Dallas community believe this is a symptom of inequalities they’ve been fighting for some time now.

The Missouri Department of Economic Development announced on Friday it was awarding more than $7.9 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds to 14 projects to improve cellular coverage across the state.

The Texas Broadband Development Office is asking for input from the public on a new plan to expand access to the Internet. Roughly 3 million households in the state lack access to high-speed Internet.

Idaho County took a step forward with the broadband project between Grangeville and Orofino with an $11.5 million fiber-optic conduit grant from the Idaho Broadband Advisory Board. A $14.5 million grant was awarded in November.

The county has secured $15 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act money to expand broadband infrastructure and improve Internet access for county residents. The county was selected from a pool of more than 113 applications.

The pay for Internet cable installers means that $1.2 billion in federal broadband expansion money coming to Pennsylvania in 2025 will not go as far unless workers in the less hazardous jobs are paid appropriately.