Network

Kansas and Missouri will collectively receive more than $2.1 billion in federal funding to expand broadband Internet under the infrastructure law passed by Congress in 2021 and signed by President Joe Biden.

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration announced a $1.16 billion allocation to the state to close the digital divide. Not everyone is convinced it’s enough to bridge the gap.  

The ENMR Telephone Cooperative is set to receive $49.5 million from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration to expand high-speed Internet in eastern parts of New Mexico.

Plus, the Public Library Association is awarding $1.27 million to support digital literacy workshops in libraries across the country, Michigan is building 525 miles of new high-speed Internet, and more.

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer and U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand announced a more than $14.5 million investment to expand broadband access across the north country region.

After a subsea fiber-optic cable was severed last weekend, residents and businesses in several Northwest Alaska and North Slope communities have turned to satellite Internet or cash-only transactions to get by.

Plus, the White House directs more funds toward rural Internet, Michigan announces statewide campaign to increase Affordable Connectivity Program enrollment, and more.

The company announced this week plans to expand 5G technology in the Parkston, Aberdeen and Pine Ridge areas. The upgrades also include improvements in the Three Forks region of the Black Hills.

Residents of several Alaska communities have been experiencing Internet and cell service interruptions this week after a subsea fiber-optic network cable was cut. The cut might take up to two months to repair.

Following an audit by the state comptroller, a school district in New York has identified and disabled unneeded accounts that belonged to former employees, as those represented potential entry points for cyber criminals.

Centre County Commissioners have voted to advance broadband expansion project proposals from two Internet service providers. The county will apply for part of $200 million in state funding for the final proposals.

The Detroit Parks Coalition, along with the city and Connect 313, announced that they will be installing Wi-Fi at five parks as part of a $265,000 program aimed at closing the digital divide.

Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch, the Indiana Broadband Office and the Office of Community and Rural Affairs have announced that Ohio and Dearborn counties, the town of Moores Hill, the town of Dillsboro and the city of Rising Sun are the newest Broadband Ready Communities.

Plus, Mississippi nets more federal funds to connect residents to affordable Internet, Connecticut directs $10 million to upgrade its senior centers, and more.

Sen. Joe Manchin announced the addition of some 86,000 unserved locations to West Virginia’s portion of the FCC broadband map. The map will be used to distribute funding to areas in need of Internet expansion.

In two California localities, the city of Fresno and Merced County, partnerships with a private company have helped to create an ecosystem that enables the advancement of digital equity initiatives.

Plus, Ohio launches a workforce program to support broadband deployment, New York aims to improve digital literacy for older adults, and more.

With staffing issues and few resources, rural counties are most likely to have missed the deadline for correcting the broadband map, meaning they will miss out on millions of dollars in federal funding meant to bring the Internet to rural America.