Level of Government

Broadband is no longer a luxury that only a few people need; it is a critical service that supports Americans’ economic opportunity, health, education, recreation, and well-being.

Several states have already announced that there will be multiple rounds of Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program grant applications. This makes a lot of sense for states that will be receiving a significant amount of BEAD funding.

Narrowing the digital divide between those who can’t afford a computer or internet access and those who can is the goal of a program taking place in several communities in Essex County, including Haverhill (MA). With the support of a regional program, Haverhill residents are getting help in the form of free computer classes, free computers and free internet access from the nonprofit MakeIT Haverhill. In 2021, the nonprofit Boston-based Tech Goes Home partnered with the Essex County Community Foundation on a pilot program covering 50 households across five program sites: Lawrence Community W

On March 28, 2023, the Treasury Department issued and invited comments on proposed compliance guidance applicable to broadband projects funded through Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund (SLFRF) or Capital Projects Fund (CPF) awards. The Proposed Guidance addresses a variety of important questions relating to the use of SLFRF and CPF funds for broadband projects, including:

Low-income students in the St. Vrain Valley School District in Longmont (CO) will soon have access to free broadband services thanks to a private LTE network deployed by the City’s municipal fiber provider, NextLight. In 2014 NextLight built a municipal fiber network in Longmont that currently covers 44,000 locations and provides service to around 26,000 customers. NextLight also provides fiber connectivity for the St.

The Federal Communications Commission announced it is committing over $2.8 million in a new funding round through the Emergency Connectivity Fund (ECF) Program, which provides digital services for students in communities across the country.

Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel responded to a letter from a group of senators regarding broadband consumer labels and pricing transparency. Specifically, Sens Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Cory Booker (D-NJ), and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) urged the FCC to independently collect pricing data as the Commission fulfills its requirement of providing internet service provider (ISP) broadband consumer labels. In her response, Chairwoman Rosenworcel highlighted two actions taken by the Commission in late 2022.

On January 5, 2023, President Joseph Biden signed into law the Martha Wright-Reed Just and Reasonable Communications Act of 2022 (Martha Wright-Reed Act) to ensure just and reasonable charges for telephone and advanced communications services in correctional and detention facilities. The law is the product of efforts by multiple individuals and committed stakeholders over a number of years to comprehensively address the persistent problem of unreasonably high rates and charges incarcerated people and their families pay for communications services.

Alaska Communications says that after a successful pilot of fiber-to-the-home service in 2022, it plans to extend its fiber network to another 14,000 homes over the course of 2023. Alaska Communications’ fiber network already serves some neighborhoods in Anchorage, Fairbanks, and Soldotna. The fiber service offers three pricing tiers of symmetrical speeds up to 2.5 Gbps.

Windstream, a privately held company that provides wired broadband, has completed the removal of all Huawei equipment from its network.