State Scoop

At least 36 states and territories have submitted to the federal government final proposals outlining how they plan to use the billions of dollars in funding provided by the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program. While the federal agency overseeing the program said the new proposals will deliver a projected “savings of at least $13 billion for American taxpayers,” experts say this assertion may be misleading.

Thousands of Kentucky residents could lose internet access in the coming weeks after KentuckyWired, the state’s open-access middle-mile broadband network, cancelled its contract with the network’s administrator. In mid-April, internet service providers in Kentucky began receiving a 30-day disconnection notice from KentuckyWired and the agency that oversees the network, the Kentucky Communications Network Authority.

New York City officials on revealed a $2.4 million project to advance digital equity. Mayor Eric Adams and city Chief Technology Officer Matthew Fraser announced the NYC Digital Equity Roadmap, a document containing 11 initiatives the city says it will undertake in the coming months to continue closing the gap in access to broadband service across the five boroughs.

President Joe Biden’s administration called on Republicans in Congress to extend funding for the Federal Communications Commission’s Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), a consumer broadband rebate program used by more than 23 million households. The the $14.2 billion ACP was signed into law in November 2021 and began accepting enrollments at the end of that year.

Federal broadband expansion efforts aim to ensure that every American household has a reliable and affordable internet connection in order to learn, work and access online services. But even with a fiber connection, many challenges still stand in the way of access to the internet and digital services. Some are unable to afford the necessary devices or internet services. Others lack a high-quality connection or digital literacy skills altogether.

Nine former chairs of the Federal Communications Commission issued a letter to the US House and Senate leaders, urging Congress to make the nationwide transition to next-generation 911 a “top priority.” Experts say the new, internet-based system is a much-needed replacement to the aging, telephone-based emergency communications infrastructure that’s been used across the US for decades. The letter penned by former FCC officials follows similar correspondence sent to Congress in January by a coalition of nine national organizations—including the National Emerge