Network

Nearly 88,500 Louisiana homes and businesses currently lacking access will get connected to the Internet, with this first release of funding approved under the American Rescue Plan's Coronavirus Capital Projects Fund.

A small island town in Maine must decide this month if it will continue to create its own broadband system or scrap the project and lose the hundreds of thousands of dollars it has already invested.

Plus, the FCC has launched a new help center with tutorials for broadband data collection; a new USDR report details experience of applying for child-care benefits; Minnesota to invest $200 million in rural broadband; and more.

As smart devices and classroom technology are increasingly integrated into the daily lives of network users, college and university IT departments must plan for more bandwidth and anytime, anywhere connectivity.

Plus, there’s a lot of news coming out of Utah’s Broadband Center, Vermont officials have announced millions in broadband construction grants, new poll finds overwhelming bipartisan support for net neutrality and more.

The massive sum that Maine expects from the federal infrastructure bill over the next five years may not be enough to bring roads and Internet connections up to date, an economist said at a recent conference.

Following a presentation of a new broadband study, officials recommended holding a meeting about taking a two-pronged approach to improve access to high-speed Internet, including discussion of a municipal network.

Many are left disconnected from critical infrastructure needed to connect with friends and family, buy goods and services, access health care, perform their jobs, for banking and investing, and more.

Pennsylvania could receive $1.2 billion in federal money to expand Internet access to residents — 10 times more than early estimates — but the window for determining exactly how much the state gets is quickly closing.

Greenlight Networks is laying fiber-optic lines and expects to connect its first area customer in late summer or early autumn, while soon installing infrastructure in other towns, aiming to reach 23,000 households.

Plus, new initiative seeks to bolster digital success among Latinos, several federal agencies enter into a new collaboration on broadband funding, an Oregon coalition is tackling broadband mapping, and more.

Gov. Tom Wolf visited Marion-Walker Elementary School on Wednesday to highlight how millions in federal funds could help bring Internet access to rural schools and communities across Pennsylvania.

County commissioners heard an update on the project to extend Internet service to under- and unserved parts of Cass County. The work is being done by Miami-Cass County REMC, a member-owned electric utility company.

High-speed broadband is now a must-have utility for communities hoping to attract and retain residents and businesses, so the Mercer County Commission has started advertising for companies willing to provide service.

Kandiyohi County and Charter Communications have symbolically broke ground on an $800,000 project that Charter said will bring broadband Internet service to more than 350 rural, unserved homes and small businesses.

In 2019, the latest data available, almost 70 percent of students in Detroit did not have access to the Internet in their homes, while Census data shows that one in four Detroiters lack access at home.

The brunt of recent launches have been for the Starlink constellation of satellites. To date, SpaceX has launched more than 2,400 of the 570-pound satellites on 44 previous Starlink missions since 2019.

More than $3 million in public funds is earmarked to improve Crawford County's broadband Internet service, but the public is being asked to determine where the funds would be best spent.