As the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) approves states’ Broadband Equity Access and Deployment Program (BEAD) Program Final Proposals, the end of the grantmaking process for this $42.45 billion program is near. Over the coming years, states will face the new challenges of monitoring and compliance to ensure that all funded projects are completed successfully and on time.
The company that’s renovating much of downtown Alton (IL) has launched a $25 million citywide fiber internet network. AltonWorks, which already opened a coworking space and has a number of housing efforts underway, is behind the opening of FiberNet.
As the National Telecommunications and Information Administration begins to get the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program off the ground, it’s now up to the internet service providers to nail down their contracts with states and ensure there’s enough cash on hand to complete builds, according to Vistabeam CEO Matt Larsen.From an outsider’s perspective, “it looks like we’re just getting millions of dollars to go out and do this, but we have to put out more than that to go out and get these projects started and actually get them built,” he said. A big part of getting BEAD projects i
Hybrid broadband service provider Nextlink Internet has increased its capacity to make denser deployments of gigabit-tier service at scale. Nextlink is home to the largest deployment of Tarana’s G2 fixed wireless access platform and is experiencing improved spectral efficiency, extended range, and higher data speeds, the vendor said in a press release. G2 is operational in 350 sectors using existing tower sites. Nextlink plans to deploy the technology to more than 600 sectors by the end of 2026. The G2 is the successor to the G1.
For many of us, checking our phones has probably become an unconscious reflex, similar to breathing or blinking. Glancing at your phone can begin to compromise your cognitive skills once it passes a certain threshold. Studies from Nottingham Trent University in the U.K. and Keimyung University in South Korea found that checking your phone about 110 times a day may signal high risk or problematic use.
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) will convene a virtual listening session on the drivers and consequences of excessive screen use in schools, including the growing reliance on individual devices and educational technology services and applications. The discussion will also examine how federal law, broadband funding, and other federal programs may influence school-based device and digital platform use.
The hearing will focus on the following bills:
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