Associated Press

Bristol, New Hampshire, launches high-speed internet service

The town of Bristol (NH) launched its new high-speed internet service on September 16. The Bristol Broadband Now network is the result of planning by the Bristol Economic Development Committee, town administrator Nicholas Coates, and a public-private partnership with eX² Technology LLC of Omaha (NE) which built the physical infrastructure for the fiber optic internet. Hub66, based in Acton (MA), will provide the internet service to businesses, residents and municipal buildings in the town of about 3,000 people.

Internet funding rule could favor rural areas over cities

Cities and urban counties across the US are raising concerns that a recent rule from President Biden’s administration could preclude them from tapping into $350 billion of coronavirus relief aid to expand high-speed internet connections. The American Rescue Plan includes broadband infrastructure among the primary uses for pandemic aid flowing to each city, county and state. But an interim rule published by the US Treasury Department has narrowed the broadband eligibility.

Louisiana planning $180 Million broadband internet expansion effort

Louisiana intends to spend $180 million over three years on grants to telecommunication firms that construct broadband internet infrastructure in underserved communities, hoping to lessen a technology gap exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic. Louisiana lawmakers earmarked millions of dollars in federal coronavirus relief aid to try to address the state's digital divide by subsidizing broadband projects. Gov.

Congressional leaders urge FCC to perform equity audit

Congressional leaders and advocacy group Media 2070 urged the Federal Communications Commission to examine how policy decisions and programs have disparately harmed Black Americans and other communities of color in a letter to Acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel on June 28.

Tennessee to move ahead with new broadband coverage map

Tennessee officials are moving forward with a plan to map out just where hundreds of thousands of Tennesseans without access to high-speed Internet live, following the lead of other states that no longer rely on federal maps that overstate coverage in some communities. The plan involves collecting and validating service data from broadband providers in Tennessee for about a year, with an anticipated completion of summer 2022, said Crystal Ivey, broadband director for the state Department of Economic and Community Development.

‘Big Burden' for Schools Trying to Give Kids Internet Access

Schools were working well before the pandemic to address the challenges presented by the digital divide, which disproportionately affects Black, Latino, and Native American students and those in low-income households. The shift to distance learning dramatically raised the stakes. Schools had to take a lead because the federal government has failed to make internet available and affordable, said Blair Levin, an Obama-era Federal Communications Commission official.“The schools were so stressed,” Levin said. “It was not easy. It was a big burden.”

Broadband help passes in South Carolina

The South Carolina General Assembly passed a bill supporters said will help get high-speed internet to hundreds of thousands of people in rural areas.

Pandemic program to boost Alabama student internet use mostly unused

A $100 million program to increase internet usage among low-income Alabama families during the pandemic has gone mostly unused, and the state is sending 300,000 more vouchers in a search for additional takers. While 75,000 students have gained internet access so far through the program, which seeks to make it easier for students to get online for school, around 450,000 students qualify statewide, said Mike Presley, spokesman for the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs. The second round of vouchers is being sent by a state contractor to increase participation.