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Plus, Rhode Island is investing $1.7 million worth of grants into Internet expansion efforts for that state, and the USDA has started to accept applications for its own grants to overcome rural broadband challenges.

The Braintree Electric Light Department in Massachusetts is selling its broadband service to Comcast, affecting a total of 2,500 customers. The transition begins this month, ending a 20-year municipal broadband run.

Appalachian Power believes it may have middle-mile infrastructure in place by February 2022 that would allow a provider to bring broadband service to two rural counties, Logan and Mingo, in West Virginia.

State officials are lauding the $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill as a chance to improve the state's rugged roads and broadband access. Both issues have long been a weak spot for the state.

CEO Patrick Cozzi, whose Philadelphia-based software company Cesium is positioning itself as a major player in the construction of the “metaverse,” explains what the metaverse is and how it will work.

Some broadband providers are exploiting the Emergency Broadband Benefit program, says the Federal Communications Commission. Such providers may be targeted for legal action as investigation continues.

Some Internet service providers in New York believe the billions of broadband dollars from the federal infrastructure bill could make the state a national leader in terms of finally closing the digital divide.

A report finds that only 71% of residents in Joplin, Mo., have a broadband connection, a number well below the national average of 87%. Joplin knows it can't become a smart city with this kind of gap.

The amount of floating junk in space is increasing. The pieces of debris may pose issues for companies like SpaceX, Amazon and Boeing, all of which plan to launch new satellites for broadband connectivity.

The federal infrastructure bill may be murkier than it appears. The large piece of legislation seems to include multiple exceptions to the Freedom of Information Act. Some of the exceptions may be illegal.

New Mexico Gov. Lujan Grisham has named Matt Schmit the broadband adviser of the state’s recently formed Office of Broadband Access and Expansion to coordinate broadband efforts across the state.

In the wake of the $1.2 trillion federal infrastructure bill, state and local government organizations find their digital equity efforts robustly funded, while many leaders at those levels are rolling out specific plans.

As companies need to free up transmission frequencies for 5G networks, their 3G networks will be shut down. Major 3G networks will be phased out at different points in 2022 depending on the service provider.

U.S. Congress members who represent Pennsylvania are split on Biden's infrastructure bill — some are enthusiastic about what it can do for the country, while others argue the legislation wastes too much money.

How virtual will courts be after COVID-19? In Oregon, Multnomah County Circuit Court is the only court with a fully virtual jury selection process. Stakeholders continue to examine the merit of other virtual court ideas.

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act designates broadband Internet access as an essential service and targets billions of dollars to close the digital divide.

Several rural towns in Massachusetts have taken on millions in broadband-related debt. State lawmakers may allow the towns to use American Rescue Plan Act dollars to lighten the debt for taxpayers.

Pennsylvania could get a one-stop shop for the hundreds of millions of dollars the state anticipates getting to stretch the Internet into small towns — a generational chance to bring rural areas into the digital age.