Network

Newly approved state funding will potentially speed the construction of the 81-mile fiber-optic backbone in Skagit County. State legislators approved some $411 million for local broadband projects.

By a 187-20 vote, Town Meeting members in Milton, Mass., approved the creation of a municipally owned broadband utility. The Internet service itself will require another vote before it can start.

A new Information Technology and Innovation Foundation report argues that any U.S. infrastructure plan should bank on digital infrastructure because it offers the greatest long-term social and economic gains.

Digital equity advocates, state broadband offices and local government staffers are encouraged by the president’s emphasis on their work, but what do they need at the federal level to fully solve this challenge?

West Virginia Department of Economic Development Secretary Mitch Carmichael unveiled a four-prong approach to spending $138 million of federal American Rescue Plan Act funds to expand broadband Internet in the state.

Internet access touches every aspect of day-to-day life, from applying for jobs or to schools and seeking medical information to doing the required work for school or a career, one professor says.

Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez said the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the Internet gaps across the 27,000-square-mile reservation. Only 46 percent of households on tribal lands have basic broadband access.

A Competitive Carriers Association white paper details how the Federal Communications Commission awarded federal broadband funds to well-populated, well-off areas that may have existing high-speed Internet access.

A collaborative effort involving the Vigo County School Corp., local and state government as well as private business will mean improved Internet access for students countywide as well as the community overall.

A SpaceX rocket sent 60 Starlink Internet satellites into space Tuesday with a launch from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on Merritt Island, Fla. By Wednesday evening, the long string of lights had been visible all over the country.

Construction of a new citywide fiber-optic network is set to begin in the coming months through a no-cost contract between the city and New Jersey-based SiFi Networks. The work is expected to cost the company $35 million.

Plus, an internal federal government innovation program picks 22 ideas to receive phased support funding, a new data warehouse aims to consolidate California’s statewide data on homelessness, and more.

The Ohio House on Wednesday voted overwhelmingly to send Gov. Mike DeWine a bill to immediately spend $20 million to expand access to broadband Internet in rural and other underserved areas.

Residents will be eligible to receive federal subsidies for Internet and devices beginning May 12 under a program aimed at helping households struggling to stay connected during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Federal Communications Commission will start accepting applications on May 12 for its program to help low-income families pay for access to high-speed Internet service during the coronavirus pandemic.

The city was forced to take its network offline as a means of containing the malware attack after it was discovered Thursday morning. Officials say the incident is being investigated by state and federal authorities.

At best, data from the Federal Communications Commission tells an incomplete story about broadband in the states. Here's what Wisconsin, North Carolina and West Virginia have done to paint a clearer picture.