Universal Broadband

Gov Pritzker Announces Accelerate Illinois Broadband Infrastructure Planning Program

Gov JB Pritzker (D-IL) and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) Office of Broadband announced the Accelerate Illinois Broadband Infrastructure Planning Program. The program – a collaborative effort by the Illinois Office of Broadband, Illinois-based Benton Institute for Broadband & Society, and University of Illinois Extension – will help local governments throughout Illinois receive expert support as they prepare to leverage new dollars that will be made available by the state as well as through the historic passage of the federal infrastructure program.

Recap: Sohn, Davidson Nomination Hearing

The Senate Commerce Committee held a hearing to consider the nominations of Gigi Sohn to be a commissioner on the Federal Communications Commission and Alan Davidson to head the National Telecommunications and Information Administration. Sohn has a history of advocating for open and affordable communications networks. She is a distinguished fellow at the Georgetown Law Institute for Technology Law & Policy and a Senior Fellow and Public Advocate at the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society.

Quality rural broadband in the works in Platte County, Nebraska

Platte County and Loup Power District have joined a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for broadband infrastructure development, investigating a public-private partnership to bring higher quality broadband to the rural area. The partnership is the brainchild of Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD) Special Assistant to the Vice President of Corporate Strategy and Innovation Pat Pope. Since retiring from his longtime position as the president and CEO of NPPD in February 2020, Pope has been working on rural broadband development.

Emergency Broadband Benefit Program Report November 30, 2021

Information regarding the households participating in the Emergency Broadband Benefit Program, including types of services received, support amounts claimed, and demographic details such as geographic locations and Tribal status. 48.53% of program participants qualified because they also participate in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), 39.7% Medicaid, 20% National School Lunch or Breakfast Program, 11.5% because they demonstrated a household income below 135% of the Federal Poverty level.

Report of the Task Force for Reviewing the Connectivity and Technology Needs of Precision Agriculture in the United States

This Task Force seeks to address the digital divide with recommendations that will advise the federal government on ways it can improve access, specifically on rural, agricultural lands. Broadband is the foundational element for all other issues. The recommendations fall largely within five primary categories with some additional key considerations. The five main priorities that the Task Force recommends are to:

South Bend will expand its Open WiFi program in 2022

The city of South Bend (IN) has plans to expand free WiFi and become more fiber-friendly in 2022. The city currently has over 30 access points for free WiFi, many of which are in public parks or city buildings. Chief Innovation Officer Denise Riedl said the city has state and federal grant money to add even more access points in 2022. She said the city will start taking public input on where those access points should be in early 2022. Riedl said the city is also looking to expand its fiber optic cable capacity in the future.

Sponsor: 

LightBox

Date: 
Wed, 12/08/2021 - 11:00 to 12:30

The U.S. Is Poised to Begin Closing the Broadband Gap. Are You Prepared?

Working together, the government, broadband service providers, and NGOs have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to close the nation’s broadband gaps by tapping into more than $100 billion in federal funds tied to Covid relief, the American Rescue Plan Act, and the recent Infrastructure Investment Act.



Alaska needs a broadband office, task force tells governor

To understand what’s “likely the most unreliable,” level of broadband coverage in the country, Alaska should open a statewide broadband office and prioritize data-driven infrastructure spending, a task force of state legislators, agency executives, rural officials and tribal leaders concluded.

CBO Scores Broadband Internet Connections for Rural America Act

The Broadband Internet Connections for Rural America Act (HR 4374) would establish or reauthorize programs administered by the Department of Agriculture to increase broadband connectivity in rural areas and would authorize the appropriation of specific annual amounts over the 2022-2029 period. Because specific amounts are already authorized for most of the programs, this cost estimate accounts for the difference between the amounts specified in the bill and those authorized under current law. On net, H.R. 4374 would authorize the appropriation of about $42.3 billion.

Charter to FCC: Pole-Attachment Issues Threaten Universal Service

Cable broadband provider Charter told the Federal Communications Commission that discriminatory access to utility poles threatens the ability of broadband providers to close the digital divide, one of the Biden Administration's goals and one it has promised the new infrastructure bill's broadband subsidy billions will make a reality.

Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act Supports Broadband Partnerships

A growing number of initiatives across America have sought to facilitate affordable access to broadband by working with willing incumbents, partnering with new entrants, establishing their own communications networks, or developing creative new alternatives. For many, broadband partnerships have emerged as their most attractive option; for some, partnerships may be their only feasible option. Depending on the circumstances, partnerships can significantly improve a broadband project’s prospects for success.

Beltway politics kept Kansas Republicans in Congress from backing broadband access for rural towns

Despite opposition from most of our Kansas congressional delegation, new federal dollars are coming to Kansas to expand broadband access. President Joe Biden recently signed a $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill, fulfilling a 2020 campaign promise. The bill had moderate bipartisan support, though every Republican in Congress from Kansas opposed it. The only Kansan to support it was Rep Sharice Davids (D-KS).

The FCC’s shoddy maps could upend Biden’s broadband gold rush

Washington is finally tackling one of the biggest obstacles to closing the nation’s digital divide: identifying the broadband dead zones where millions of Americans lack fast internet service. But that’s coming too late for the broadband gold rush of 2021. States and cities are already allocating more than $10 billion in federal pandemic relief to get broadband into underserved communities — the biggest government investment ever toward increasing internet connectivity.

Lobbyists turn to infrastructure law's implementation

The $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill is enshrined into law, but the lobbying over its implementation is just getting started.

New Guidance for Transition to Affordable Connectivity Program

The Federal Communications Commission's Wireline Competition Bureau waives certain rules governing the enrollment freeze and notice requirements for the end of the Emergency Broadband Benefit Program, which will cease no later than December 31, 2021 as a result of the text in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

This Native American Heritage Month We Must Recommit to Closing the Digital Divide and Increasing Digital Equity and Opportunity for Native Americans

As our Nation honors Native American Heritage Month, the Department of Commerce remains committed to building back a better, more equitable economy where no one is left behind. By implementing the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) will help ensure every person in this country, especially those living on Tribal land and other underserved

New York universal broadband access possible with infrastructure funds, experts say

For nearly a decade, New York has pledged to provide universal high-speed broadband access, allocating over a half-billion dollars into expanding rural networks in some of the most remote areas of the state. While the efforts have yielded results — New York ranks second in the US in the percentage of the population with broadband available in their neighborhood — universal access remains elusive.

FCC Begins the Transition of the Emergency Broadband Benefit Program into the Affordable Connectivity Program

On November 18, 2021, the Federal Communications Commission's Wireline Competition Bureau released a public notice seeking public comment on how to modify and extend the Emergency Broadband Benefit Program to a longer-term broadband affordability program: the Affordable Connectivity Program.

Congress takes steps to improve low-income broadband adoption rates

Building on previous initiatives, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act represents a potentially significant improvement over previous efforts to help low-income families get online. But as always, much will depend on how the Federal Communications Commission carries out its new congressional mandate. The Affordable Connectivity Program will provide $30/month in assistance on an ongoing basis, plus equipment subsidies. There is much to like about the new Affordable Connectivity Program.

FCC Establishes Integrity Measures for Emergency Benefit Enrollments Based on Community Eligibility Provision

The Federal Communications Commission's Office of Inspector General (OIG) issued an advisory raising concerns with respect to Emergency Broadband Benefit (EBB) Program enrollments based on the USDA National School Lunch Program’s Community Eligibility Provision (CEP). Households with a student enrolled in a school or school district participating in the CEP can qualify for the EBB Program.

A Big Day For Lifeline

November 5, 2021 may be remembered as the day the U.S. House of Representatives passed the infrastructure bill. But it was also a big day for the Federal Communications Commission's Lifeline program—because of actions both the FCC and Congress took that day.

Governor Newsom Announces Initial Broadband Projects to Help Bridge Digital Divide

California has identified 18 projects to begin work on an open-access middle-mile network that will provide missing infrastructure paths to bring broadband to all our communities. The initial project locations are based on known unserved and underserved areas across the state. The projects will connect to the core of the global internet and interconnect to last-mile infrastructure, which is the final leg that provides internet service to a customer. The initial 18 projects represent a range of geographic locations and technical approaches.

You Can’t Spell ‘Broadband’ Without ‘Accountability’

The share of U.S. adults using the internet has not grown significantly since 2013, according to the Pew Research Center. It’s a trend reflected in rural broadband subscription rates that continue to lag significantly behind rates in urban areas. The gigabit elephant in the room is the ridiculous amount we spend for broadband relative to the quality of services communities, especially rural areas, get. Federal agencies have been spending $6 billion per year since 2009 for rural broadband.

Investments to Accelerate Digital Equity

Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved a motion on developing the infrastructure necessary to provide low-income residents in the County with affordable, high quality and high speed, sustainable internet service. Approximately 364,000 households in Los Angeles County lack internet access due primarily to cost. The county will explore viable options to facilitate residential access to reliable broadband service in low-income communities that lack internet service and to return to the Board with quarterly updates. The Board: