Network

According to The Center for Digital Equity at Queens University of Charlotte, more than 14 percent of homes in Mecklenburg County, almost 56,000 households, do not have Internet access.

Over the past few months, the city of Birmingham has helped enroll hundreds of residents in the Affordable Connectivity Program, while increasing digital skills expertise and expanding tech device accessibility through its CONNECT99 campaign.

Northumberland and Union counties through SEDA-Council of Governments are seeking $1 million in Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP) funds toward the expansion of broadband.

The construction phase of a multiyear project to provide high-speed fiber-optic Internet to more than 16,000 rural residents in Lowndes County has begun. The project will connect around 96 percent of the unserved county census blocks.

A newly released report from the Stanford Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence Institute highlights just how disruptive the quickly evolving technology is — and will continue to be — in our daily lives.

A new report has found that only 12 percent of eligible residents have signed up for the federal government’s Affordable Connectivity Program, which helps pay for high-speed Internet.

U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal and a local nonprofit are calling on the Federal Communications Commission to provide better cell and broadband access and protection to those in abusive relationships.

Alabama has committed $537 million in federal funds for high-speed Internet under plans state lawmakers and Gov. Kay Ivey approved last year and during a special session this month.

The nation's largest municipal broadband program has expanded by nearly 50 percent, now delivering free Internet and basic cable television to approximately 300,000 New Yorkers in public housing.

Plus, a continued look at what some state and local governments are doing to increase participation in the Affordable Connectivity Program, and more.

The city of Brownsville is installing its BTXFibers project that, when completed, will make the Internet accessible and affordable to all residents and businesses. The first connections are expected in July.

Haverhill, Mass., residents are getting help in the form of free computer classes, free computers and free Internet access from the nonprofit MakeIT Haverhill, with the support of a regional program.

Local government officials in McLean County, Ill., regional planners and the McLean County Farm Bureau want to know how fast Internet access is in rural parts of the county.

A dozen towns throughout Lewis County, N.Y., will now have access to 27 Wi-Fi hot spots thanks to a collaboration between the county and Internet service provider Spectrum. The project was created through a $370,000 program with Spectrum.

The AT&T Connected Learning Center, located at the Rincon Education Center, increases Internet access for tribal community members, while providing opportunities for students to do homework and for adults to seek employment.

The county board of commissioners is asking to be considered for the state’s Realizing Opportunities for Broadband Infrastructure Networks grant, seizing the opportunity to apply before the next round of grants in 2024.

Plus, Vermont is the latest state actively seeking resident input on its digital equity planning, Hawaii's state digital equity leader is honored by a pair of new awards, and more.

The New York State Public Service Commission will hold virtual public statement hearings to receive public comments concerning the availability, reliability and affordability of broadband in the state.