1. Monthly archive
  2. September 2021

September 2021

Libraries Could Be the New Clinics

In community broadband, libraries are considered “anchor institutions.” Like anchor tenants in a mall, libraries and other institutions, such as schools, hospitals and assisted living facilities, all contribute to the financial stability of broadband networks. Libraries drive large numbers of people onto networks. Now they can drive thousands to telehealth through those networks. Libraries are realizing that they can be in the vanguard of transforming health care delivery in urban and rural areas.

Connecting the Caribbean’s Unconnected with Subsea Cable Networks

Just as nations were beginning to invest significant capital in broadband infrastructure developments, COVID-19 crippled the Caribbean. The pandemic highlighted the need for critical infrastructure and connectivity around the globe, but especially for island nations. The effort to provide adequate broadband gained some traction in 2021 as some Caribbean nations restarted economic development plans that include telecommunications infrastructure rollouts from years before 2020. In these plans, fixed broadband leads growth, mostly supported by the expansion of fiber optic networks.

Closing the Digital Divide Requires an Expanded, Skilled Workforce

The race to close the digital divide requires lots of workers to get the job done sooner rather than later. Many positions in fiber network construction require a particular skill set for workers to be job-ready and minimize mistakes. The skills are specific and often learned through some form of on-the-job training, of which there are currently a few.

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