Universal Broadband

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania strives to achieve universal and equitable connectivity to support the state's social, economic, and quality of life outcomes. The Pennsylvania Broadband Development Authority (PBDA) has released Connected and Empowered: A Digital Equity Plan for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to work towards digital inclusion for every resident of the Commonwealth. PBDA's draft plan is available for public comment until January 8, 2024.

I often describe NTIA as a ‘small but mighty’ agency. We lived up to that moniker in 2023, making considerable progress in our work to close the digital divide, build a better Internet at home and abroad, and support U.S. wireless innovation and leadership. NTIA hit major milestones in 2023, including:

The Texas Broadband Development Office (BDO), under the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, developed the Texas Digital Opportunity Plan to guide non-infrastructure-related digital opportunity investments. Another aim is to position the BDO to receive State Digital Equity Capacity Grant Program funds from the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Infrastructure Administration (NTIA).

FloridaCommerce announced that more than $13 million in broadband grant funding is available through the Capital Projects Fund Digital Connectivity Technology Program to connect communities with digital devices. The program connects communities in need of broadband Internet access with funds for devices and equipment for digital workforce, education, and healthcare opportunities — like applying for a job, securing a degree, and attending a telehealth appointment.

Governor Jared Polis (D-CO) announced the first of multiple investments using stimulus funding from the US Treasury’s Capital Projects Fund (CPF) program. The Polis administration will use $113 million from CPF to make major, long-term improvements, including expanding the state’s broadband infrastructure and connecting Colorado homes without internet access. CPF will connect nearly 19,000 homes and businesses across all of Colorado with these funds.

FOCUS Broadband announced the completion of its ReConnect Grant in Columbus County (NC). With the project’s completion, more than 2,750 homes and businesses in rural parts of the county surrounding Tabor City, Hallsboro, Bolton, Lake Waccamaw, and areas north of Whiteville now have access to high-speed fiber optic internet services. This project was made possible through a $7.9 million ReConnect grant awarded to the company by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in December of 2019.

I’m working with several small cities that were recently notified that the existing cable company plans to upgrade its network. In these cities, the cable company still operates a DOCSIS 3.0 network. The networks have download speeds a little faster than 100 Megabits per second (Mbps), and upload speeds are under 10 Mbps. These cities are currently considered to be underserved and are eligible for BEAD grants. I talked to the State Broadband Offices in several states about the issue of announced upgrades coming just in front of the final BEAD map challenges.

The Florida Department of Commerce (FloridaCommerce) released the State of Florida’s Digital Adoption and Use Plan for public comment. FloridaCommerce developed this plan to serve as the state’s benchmark and roadmap for closing the digital divide and increasing digital access across the state.

Our goal to “ensure that every person in every community, of every geography and income, has access to modern telecommunications service” has been the North Star of the Federal Communications Commission since its creation in 1934.

The North Carolina Department of Information Technology’s (NCDIT) Division of Broadband and Digital Equity developed the North Carolina draft Digital Equity Plan. This plan is a comprehensive strategy that aims to ensure all individuals and communities have access to the digital tools, resources, and skills they need to participate fully in the digital environment.