Universal Broadband

The Federal Communications Commission is committing over $2.5 million in a new funding round through the Emergency Connectivity Fund (ECF) Program, which provides digital services for students in communities across the country.

Consolidated Communications will bring Fidium fiber internet to 22,000 rural Maine homes and businesses as part of the Connect Maine Partnership, supported by a $18.3 million grant from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). This project will bolster Consolidated’s ongoing work to build fiber-to-the-premises broadband networks to more than 70% of the Company’s service area by 2025.

Kansas City's Digital Equity Office is proud to receive the Missouri Office of Broadband Development's Digital Demonstration Project Grant for $25,000. Kansas City's Digital Equity Office will utilize this grant money to promote participation in the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP). The Digital Equity Office will partner with Essential Families, a not-for-profit community-based organization, to help enroll eligible Kansas City residents into the ACP. This money will specifically go toward the city's outreach efforts, including:

Around 130,000 households across Bexar County lack adequate internet access, per a 2021 

Over the past year, I’ve focused on investigating why the internet connection at your house is slow and what you can do about it. Tucked deep in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), signed by President Joe Biden in 2021, is a short provision giving

Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel delivered remarks on April 6th, 2023, about the state of communications infrastructure in Indian Country to the 2023 Reservation Economic Summit. "I believe affordable broadband access is a prerequisite for full participation in our society and economy." This statement made by Rosenworcel in her speech highlights the importance of universal broadband access. Rosenworcel discusses the COVID-19 pandemic and how it has brought attention to the digital divide affecting low-income families and rural communities.

The federal infrastructure bill enacted in late 2021 included resources and funding requirements to significantly narrow the gap between American households that have access to affordable, high-speed internet and those that do not. Although much of the implementation effort is in the hands of state governments, Congress’ work on expanding broadband access is far from over.

The Federal Communications Commission announced the final list of 34 entities selected for the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) Pilot Programs, which are aimed at providing ACP outreach and application assistance to eligible households. The two ACP Pilot Programs are: (1) the Your Home, Your Internet Pilot Program, which is focused on ACP outreach and application support to recipients of federal housing assistance; and (2) the ACP Navigator Pilot Program, which provides selected entities access to the National Verifier to help low-income households complete and submit their ACP applica

President Joe Biden made clear in his 2023 State of the Union address that as the US spends billions of dollars on new broadband connections, “we’re going to buy American.” But that aspiration is easier said than done. While there seems to be enough domestic fiber optic cable to connect communities, the electronic components such as routers that transform glass strands into data highways are made mainly in other countries.

Governor Wes Moore (D-MD) announced that Maryland is awarding nearly $92 million to expand high-speed internet access to an estimated 14,500 households and businesses across the state through Connect Maryland, an initiative to close the digital divide through the Office of Statewide Broadband.