Network

If Sens. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., and Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., have their way, any broadband company that wants to use federal money to provide service in rural areas must be screened very carefully.

A new report commissioned by the Maine Connectivity Authority said the state is already expected to have a shortfall of 3,240 workers in broadband jobs. The figure casts a shadow on the goal of connecting every part of the state.

Plus, more states are holding in-person events to stoke citizen participation in their connectivity work, President Biden's long-delayed fifth FCC commissioner nominee gets a hearing, and more.

Plus, the Rural Broadband Association submits a list of priorities to the new Congress; the Department of Defense and NTIA host a 5G challenge; the Texas Library Commission is collecting data about Internet speeds; and more!

Comcast has reached an agreement with the state of Indiana on a $50 million investment to expand high-speed broadband Internet across Indiana, including to Porter, LaPorte and Starke counties.

The California Public Utilities Commission has bestowed the city with a $493 million grant to further establish broadband access for unserved and underserved residents and businesses within Vacaville.

Under the terms of a newly approved franchising policy in Hanceville, Ala., Internet service providers that use city right of way will pay 5 percent of their annual gross income to the city for maintenance.

Roughly 116,000 homes and businesses in Maine do not have broadband service, according to federal data. The grants announced this week will expand service to more than 16,000 homes and businesses in nine counties.

The Missouri Department of Economic Development this week announced that more than $5.6 million was awarded for projects in Lawrence County and more than $9.5 million was awarded for projects in five counties.

The cities of Lewiston and Auburn will be at the center of a new fiber-optic broadband network being built by GoNetspeed. The work is expected to begin later this year, the company said.

The $72 million effort on the part of Cleveland Utilities and the municipal government is facing opposition from three conservative groups who say the move pits the government against private businesses and could compromise customer privacy.

The upgrades come as a followup to a study by the county last year that, according to preliminary results, determined as much as 71 percent of the area is underserved by existing broadband infrastructure.

With the completion of the city’s fiber-optic network approaching, city staff have recommended that a public-private partnership would be much more cost effective to operate when compared to a city-run service.

Almost two months after the FCC released its new broadband map, state governments have submitted “bulk challenges” as part of a requirement to receive BEAD funding.

Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar this week released the Texas Broadband Development Map, which sought to identify the availability of various types of high-speed Internet access across the state.

Plus, local leaders in Phoenix have teamed up to tackle digital equity in the region, registration is now open for the NDIA's annual Net Inclusion event, some stakeholders want more time on the FCC map process, and more.

An overview of the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program’s goals, requirements, and other considerations.

Plus, a new piece of legislation would create a digital equity division for Washington, D.C.; an Indiana data map includes 12 different digital equity variables within the state’s counties; and more.