Coronavirus and Connectivity

Through our Headlines news service, Benton is tracking the role of broadband in the response to coronavirus (COVID-19). Click on titles below for full summaries of articles and links to sources.

North Carolina Awards Nearly $80 Million to Give More North Carolinians High-Speed Internet Access, Gov. Cooper Announces

Across North Carolina, 25,825 households and 862 businesses in 33 counties will get high-speed internet thanks to nearly $80 million in additional Growing Rural Economies with Access to Technology (GREAT) grants, Governor Roy Cooper (D-NC) announced. These latest grant awards add to the more than $269 million total awarded in 2022 to connect 117,405 households and businesses. As part of the federally-funded GREAT grant eligibility requirements, all internet service provider applicants must participate in the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP).

Tennessee Gets Set to Dish Out $185M for Rural Broadband Deployments

The state of Tennessee will begin accepting applications in September 2023 for $185 million in grant funding for broadband deployments in unserved and underserved areas.

FOCUS Broadband Completes Two GREAT Grants in Duplin County (NC)

FOCUS Broadband has completed work to bring fiber optic high-speed internet to rural communities near Magnolia, Rose Hill, and Teachey (NC). These projects were made possible through two grants totaling more than $2.5 million dollars awarded in 2020 through North Carolina's Growing Rural Economies through Access to Technology (GREAT) Grant Program as well as the Special Supplementary Round of the GREAT Grant Program. FOCUS Broadband contributed more than $1 million dollars in matching funds to bring service to these rural areas in Duplin County.

Verizon Executive Details Pennsylvania Funding Win, Company Also Gets Virginia Money

Verizon won broadband funding from two Pennsylvania counties recently. Verizon Vice President of Business Operations for Wireline Networks Doug Sullivan offered details about the wins, which are for areas where the company has begun deploying its Fios fiber broadband service. The Pennsylvania awards were for Washington and Westmoreland counties.

Washington County (ME) will help launch National Digital Navigators Corps

Susan Corbett, the founder of Maine’s National Digital Equity Center (NDEC), lives in one of America’s most remote rural regions. The population density is under 10 people per square mile. She knows first-hand how fast her community can tumble without a safety net. When the pandemic’s shelter-in-place order went into effect in 2020, Corbett and her team witnessed the severe isolation and loneliness of many elderly people in her community. The Digital Equity Center responded quickly.

FCC Announces Over $29 Million in Emergency Connectivity Funding

The Federal Communications Commission committed nearly $29 million in a new funding round through the Emergency Connectivity Fund Program, which provides digital tools and services to support students in communities across the country. The commitment supports applications from the third application window, benefitting approximately 65,000 students nationwide, including students in California, Idaho, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and South Dakota.

RDOF areas are already 30% Served by broadband. That's a good thing.

At the time the Federal Communications Commission Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) program winners were announced, $9.23 billion was committed over 10-years to cover over 5 million Unserved locations.

Advance Colorado Broadband Grant Program is Open

The Colorado Broadband Office announced the opening of the Advance Colorado Broadband grant program. The program began accepting applications for the Capital Projects Fund (CPF).

Around 100,000 Unserved Michigan Homes, Businesses to Connect to High-Speed Internet Through $238M in Initial Grant Recommendations

The Michigan High-Speed Internet Office (MIHI) announced its initial recommendations for the Realizing Opportunity with Broadband Infrastructure Networks (ROBIN) grant program, which will provide $238 million in federal funding through the Coronavirus Capital Projects Fund (CPF) to support the deployment of high-speed internet to approximately 100,000 unserved locations throughout the state.

Treasury Department Announces Awards in Montana and North Dakota to Expand Connectivity

The US Department of the Treasury approved $119.9 million in federal funds for broadband infrastructure projects in Montana and $68.3 million for multi-purpose community facility projects in North Dakota under the American Rescue Plan Act's (ARPA) Capital Projects Fund (CPF):