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.

Cook County Announces Awardees of the Digital Equity IMPACT Small Grants Program

Cook County (IL) Board President Toni Preckwinkle announced the inaugural recipients of the Digital Equity IMPACT Small Grants Program, a groundbreaking initiative designed to promote digital inclusion through storytelling and community engagement. A total of 15 organizations across Cook County have been awarded grants of $7,500 or $15,000, depending on the size and scope of their projects.

Nevada Announces Winners of More Than $553 Million in BEAD Funding

The Nevada Governor’s Office of Science, Innovation, and Technology (OSIT) is ready to submit the Final Proposal for the state’s Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program to the National Telecommunications and Information Association (NTIA). The Final Proposal will include the provisional winners of Nevada’s first round of BEAD funding.

Healey-Driscoll Administration Grants Over $6.3 Million to Upgrade Public Housing Internet

The Healey-Driscoll Administration and Massachusetts Broadband Institute (MBI) within the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative (MassTech) announced $6,326,054 in awards to 3,512 affordable housing units across nine Massachusetts communities. The awards are part of the Residential Retrofit Program, an initiative from MBI that works with housing operators and internet service providers (ISPs) to upgrade broadband infrastructure in public and affordable housing properties.

Biden-Harris Administration Recommends for Award More Than $276 Million to Expand Internet Use on Tribal Lands

The Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has recommended for award more than $276 million to 44 Tribal entities to expand high-speed Internet access and adoption. The funding from the nearly $3 billion Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program is part of the Biden-Harris Administration's Internet for All Initiative.

Oregon’s Broadband Deployment Program Announces Notices of Intent to Award Second Tranche out of the $141 Million to Bring High-Speed, Reliable Broadband Internet to Thousands by 2026

The Oregon Broadband Office issued Notices of Intent to Award the second tranche of funding for the Broadband Deployment Program. In tranche two, $9,488,246 will be awarded to Home Telephone Company's project, "Nyssa Regional Link Expansion." It will provide 100/100 service at $49.99/month to 800 currently unserved locations in Malheur county.

Thirty-Seven More NC Counties to Receive Expanded High-Speed Internet Access

The North Carolina Department of Information Technology’s (NCDIT) Division of Broadband and Digital Equity today posted Completing Access to Broadband (CAB) program scopes of work to expand high-speed internet access to unserved and underserved homes and businesses at approximately 67,724 eligible locations in 37 counties. The division posted 53 additional CAB program scopes of work on 

Spectrum Launches Gigabit Broadband, Mobile, TV and Voice Services in Kenosha County (WI)

Spectrum announced the launch of Spectrum Internet, Mobile, TV and Voice services to more than 1,000 homes and small businesses in Kenosha County, Wisconsin. Spectrum’s multi-year Rural Construction Initiative is an investment of approximately $9 billion – partly offset by over $2 billion in government support funding. This network expansion project in Kenosha County was funded partly through private investment made by Spectrum. About 24.05 percent of the total cost of the project, which was $872,171, was financed with federal funds.

Jones Administration and St. Louis Development Corporation Begin Installing WiFi in Public Parks

With the help of funding from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), Mayor Tishaura O. Jones’ administration, in partnership with the St. Louis Development Corporation (SLDC), began installing free WiFi in nine city parks. To advance Digital Equity in the City of St.

Michigan Capital Projects Fund Performance Report 2024

The Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity (LEO), home to the Michigan High-Speed Internet Office (MIHI), is directed under state law to operate a broadband grant program consistent with the Coronavirus Capital Projects Fund. The Realizing Opportunity with Broadband Infrastructure Networks (ROBIN) Program is designed to support the deployment of broadband infrastructure to locations currently without 100/20 megabits per second (Mbps) service.

Fifty-Three More North Carolina Counties to Receive Expanded High-Speed Internet Access

The North Carolina Department of Information Technology’s (NCDIT) Division of Broadband and Digital Equity today posted Completing Access to Broadband (CAB) program scopes of work to expand high-speed internet access to unserved and underserved homes and businesses at approximately 93,674 eligible locations. The CAB program creates a partnership among state government, county leaders and internet servic