Digital Divide

Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar announced awards totaling $701.9 million for the second round of the Bringing Online Opportunities to Texas Program (BOOT II), aimed at bridging the digital divide and enhancing broadband access for unserved and underserved communities across the state.

Marylanders Online, a state-funded digital literacy initiative led by the University of Maryland Extension (UME) in partnership with the College of Information, entered its third year in 2024. Leading several of the state’s digital literacy efforts, Marylanders Online focused the year on resource curation, grassroots community engagement, and capacity-building. These efforts, added to the program’s expanding portfolio of digital classes and programs, have made 2024 a year of notable growth and achievements for Marylanders Online.

Congress created the new Broadband Data Collection (BDC) maps with the passage of the Broadband Deployment Accuracy and Technological Availability Act (the Broadband DATA Act). This created the requirement for the new mapping system that replaced the old system of reporting maps called the 477 process. One of the requirements of the Broadband DATA Act is that internet service providers (ISPs) have to engage a professional engineer to certify that the data submitted to the FCC is accurate.

Maine Connectivity Authority (MCA), the public agency leading the statewide expansion of broadband and digital equity in Maine, has opened a competitive grant program for Maine-based organizations. The program will enable greater opportunities for individuals and communities through access to digital skills, devices, internet safety education, and technical support. In the first phase of the Digital Opportunity Networks grant program application, MCA is accepting letters of intent from nonprofits, state agencies, local and Tribal governments and similar public entities.

Delaware is on pace to become the first state with universal high-speed internet access, thanks to $17.4 million in federal money. State officials announced construction will begin in late spring to build infrastructure in the remaining areas without internet access or government-funded services. Gov. Bethany Hall-Long (D-DE) and the Delaware Department of Technology and Information Delaware Broadband Office announced on January 14 that construction will begin in June to connect more than 5,700 homes and businesses that lack reliable internet service.

With President Donald Trump back in the White House, it’s only a matter of time before the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program gets the overhaul everyone’s anticipating. But first things first, Trump needs to appoint a National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) administrator to succeed Alan Davidson. According to Chad Duval, a partner at accounting firm Moss Adams, rumor has it the new BEAD boss will likely be Arielle Roth, policy director of telecommunications on the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee.

Two more states — Michigan and Maine — are now accepting applications for funding in the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) rural broadband program. In addition, Colorado plans to begin accepting applications for the state’s second round of BEAD funding on January 27. Providers have until April 9 to apply for funding in Michigan, which has a total budget of over $1.5 billion in BEAD funding. The deadline to apply for funding in Maine, which has $272 million to award, is February 28. The deadline in Colorado’s second round is February 28.

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr announced the appointment of Acting Bureau leadership as well as the Acting General Counsel and Managing Director. The full list of these appointments is as followed:

Alabama has become a national model for state initiative and success in broadband policy and strategy, showcasing the effectiveness of early planning, substantial executive and legislative support, and strategic use of federal funds. Since 2017, Alabama leaders have consistently acted on the vision of a connected state, supporting and funding broadband initiatives designed to reach every community, from population centers to the state’s rural Black Belt.

Following up on the release of The Human Infrastructure of Broadband: Looking Back, Looking Around, and Looking Ahead, we are providing examples of core, complementary, and coalition models for digital equity work. With 27 locations, the Denver Public Library (DPL) is an innovative hub for digital equity throughout the city, serving more than 700,000 residents. The library provides more than 1,400 public internet computers that receive more than 250,000 uses annually, as well as free public Wi-Fi.