North Dakota

Federal Communications Commissioner Olivia Trusty and Senior Legal Advisor Marcus Maher visited Minot (ND) on August 13 to tour critical communications systems and engage in a roundtable discussion with Minot area leaders.

Today's big news is that the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) approved 18 Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program Final Proposals. As a reminder, we've been tracking what those proposals looked like when they were submitted to the NTIA. In the coming days, we'll be examining the final final (Is that what we should call them?) BEAD plans to see what changes were made during the approval process.

Following a June 6 announcement from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) that restructured the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program, all states and territories have been tasked with reevaluating their plans to connect un- and underserved locations to high-speed internet.

North Dakota State Broadband Program Director Brian Newby prefers not to beat his head against a federal agency over which he has no control. “Just tell me the rules. We’ll follow the rules.” Officially, North Dakota only has about 2,000 locations left without broadband, though Newby thinks that after the bogus broadband locations are removed, the number may be closer to 1,000.

An impressive milestone is inching its way to completion in North Dakota.

The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has recommended for award more than $250 million to 24 organizations to support digital skills and inclusion projects in communities across the country. The funding will support 24 projects across 39 states and territories. Awards will be issued following budget review and processing. 

The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has approved and recommended for award applications from Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Maryland, North Dakota, American Samoa, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, allowing them to request access to more than $60.6 million to implement their Digital Equity Plans. With this announcement, NTIA has approved and recommended for award all state and U.S. Territory applications for the first round of funding from the State Digital Equity Capacity Grant Program.

North Dakota has the potential to be the first state in the country to bring a fiber connection to 100% of their broadband service locations. Brian Newby, the State Broadband Program Director, said North Dakota is in this position thanks to their forward-thinking providers: “The state had nothing to do with it.” Newby said a provider-led push led to the current reality in which North Dakota enjoys broad fiber coverage. “They went out on a limb as a group and borrowed money to do this over the years.