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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.

DigitalC, previously known as OneCleveland, and later OneCommunity, had a track record of delivering high-speed Internet to Northeast Ohio. In 2012, the group had connected 2,300 schools, libraries, hospitals, and more.

Plus, the NTIA introduces a tribal broadband planning toolkit; a new online tool helps communities find opportunities for broadband funding; a new database tracks state-level broadband legislation; and more.

There are still far too many families — many of them lower income and people of color — who don’t have the resources to have high-speed Internet access at home, and it’s time to change that.

The technology will use GPS data from mobile devices to route calls to the nearest 911 dispatch center, making it more likely the call goes to the right place. And dispatchers won't have to do anything to get it.