Network

For years, the 3,600 residents of Lake Providence, La., pushed for better Internet. They were set to get it until the Trump administration announced new rules for a national broadband build-out.

The high court preserved the Universal Service Fund, which finds its beginnings in the 1934 Communications Act. It includes E-rate, and is intended to ensure effective telecommunications across America.

Plus, proposed legislation aims to address rural broadband funding issues, states address federal funding cuts and program changes, Spectrum is investing in digital skills training, and more.

New federal funding cuts are impacting plans for high-speed Internet and digital inclusion work, leaving state broadband directors to explore alternate financing and other ways to move forward.

Plus, experts encourage including artificial intelligence skills in digital literacy programming, Tennessee libraries are getting funding to teach such skills, Maine launched a new device sharing program, and more.

The local government is getting underway on a project to bring high-speed Internet to more than 400 additional homes and businesses. Its total cost is $1.7 million, with $1.3 million of that coming from a federal grant.

A Massachusetts school district is barring local city leaders from accessing school IT systems, alleging that an executive order by the mayor to combine the district's and city's IT offices was illegal.

The new piece of the Completing Access to Broadband program will deliver high-speed Internet connection services to 3,292 homes and businesses across six Triad counties. Funding comes from the federal American Rescue Plan.

Tribal communities are some of the nation’s least connected areas, making them fertile ground for innovative broadband deployments and tech. Speakers on a recent panel said open-access, tribe-owned systems may be best.

Plus, Kansas is expanding Internet access and digital literacy, local governments in Ohio are investing in skills training, a new workshop series focuses on artificial intelligence use, and more.

Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke signed bills establishing a state Broadband Office and expanding digital literacy services. The new office will ensure high-speed Internet reaches the underserved statewide.

Federal officials have unveiled widely anticipated revisions regarding the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program. States had paused some activities in anticipation of the changes.

Two routes that will run underneath the lake, bringing faster Internet to thousands of Michiganders and connecting Benton Harbor to Chicago, are in environmental review and engineering.

Plus, a second FCC commissioner has announced his departure, a survey reveals a major area lacking in digital accessibility efforts, local governments are expanding their fiber networks, and more.

The Residential Retrofit Program of Massachusetts Technology Collaborative’s Massachusetts Broadband Institute, funded by the American Rescue Plan Act, has delivered high-speed Internet to an apartment complex in Springfield.

The Freestate Middle Mile Network ultimately will deploy 682 miles of fiber with funding from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration. A goal is for Kansas to be among the top 10 states for broadband access by 2030.

Plus, Hawaii students were recognized for their contributions to broadband data mapping work, a report shows more than half of New Yorkers use free public Wi-Fi, another shows progress in rural broadband expansion, and more.

Free public Wi-Fi hosted by cities is booming, boosting digital access. But as reliance grows, so do cybersecurity risks like "evil twin" attacks. Can cities truly make free Wi-Fi safe?