Infrastructure

American government civic leaders continue to prioritize digital inclusion and digital equity. In Boston (MA), elected officials, and tech leaders are collaborating to expand the scope of digital equity by making sure all residents have high-speed Internet, devices, and digital skills training. Additionally, Boston has a new focus; specifically, the City has broadened the scope of the work to also include looking at how technology can ease barriers toward equity for different groups.

When broadband fails to reach indigenous tribes, the result is not only a lack of connectivity but also a scarcity of data that essentially masks their needs from the government. The digital divide disproportionately affects underserved populations, and for Tribal communities, it is exacerbated by jurisdictional challenges, geographic coverage limitations, and a lack of affordability, said Traci Morris, executive director of the American Indian Policy Institute (AIPI).

Gov Greg Abbott (R-TX) was recently in Laredo (TX) touting his efforts to get the roughly 7 million Texans without broadband access online, something he deemed an emergency item in the last legislative session. But Abbott’s Democratic challenger, Beto O'Rourke (D-TX), has been hammering him for vetoing a bill that would have shored up state funding used to build and maintain phone lines that carry broadband service in rural areas.

The Federal Communications Commission's Wireline Competition Bureau (WCB), in conjunction with the Rural Broadband Auctions Task Force (RBATF) and the Office of Economics and Analytics (OEA), authorizes Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) support for 49 winning bids including Cyber Broadband in Alabama and E Fiber San Juan in Utah.

The Federal Communications Commission estimates it will take between $397 billion and $478 billion to reach all underserved locations. It’s worth remembering there are only two numbers at play: the number of locations that don’t have access to 100/20 broadband service, and the average cost to bring fiber-to-the-home service to those locations. I estimated 23.1 million un- and underserved locations. The FCC study estimated 45.5 million, or 32% of all United States housing units. The second part of the equation is the cost to serve the average unserved or underserved location.

Tennessee is awarding $446,770,282 in grants for the expansion of internet access across the state. The broadband infrastructure grants will provide broadband access to more than 150,000 unserved homes and businesses across 58 counties. Funding for these grants comes through the Tennessee Emergency Broadband Fund – American Rescue Plan Act (TEBF-ARPA), which utilizes a portion of the state’s ARPA funds to address the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic and work toward a strong recovery.

Lieutenant Gov Jon Husted (R-OH) is launching the newly designed Broadband Infrastructure Training Program at Buckeye Hills Career Center in Rio Grande (OH). Students will go through an approximately 12-week interactive learning journey that includes the design, installation, and service components of broadband networks.

Starlink asked the Federal Communications Commission to reconsider a decision to deny it $885.5 million in rural broadband funding.