Digital Divide

The New York State Public Service Commission released a first-of-its-kind, interactive broadband map to provide the most detailed depiction of broadband infrastructure in New York to date.

The Arctic region has largely been left out of the broadband arena in the past due to the high cost of building last-mile broadband infrastructure. But this lack of broadband looks to be changing as multiple satellite companies are targeting the region as a good business opportunity. A number of satellite companies are also developing plans and partnerships around bringing their services to the Arctic region. Satellite broadband is an awesome solution for places where there are likely to be no alternatives.

To aid state and local policymakers, this report offers an engineering analysis of fixed-wireless technologies and their suitability for delivering broadband service in various environments. The report addresses a range of critical technology and cost considerations related to fixed-wireless networks—and, as a point of comparison, to fiber-to-the-premises networks. At a high level, the report concludes the following:

US Ignite, an organization that has spent the last decade helping cities across the country plan and tackle broadband projects, brings seven more communities into its fold. All told, more than 50 cities are now part of its network and it’s looking to grow that number as communities face a daunting challenge: navigating an influx of federal broadband funding opportunities.

Gainesville (FL) officials have shot down a proposal to use nearly $10 million in pandemic relief funds for an expansion of low-cost, city-run broadband internet despite years of discussion on the issue. Instead, elected leaders said they would keep exploring options on the issue and would instead look at how to spend the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars on affordable housing, an issue some city commissioners agree is Gainesville's most pressing issue. The city commission voted 2-5 to dismiss the broadband proposal on June 16.

Thanks to nearly $1 billion in funding from a variety of sources, West Virginia officials are working to provide high-speed broadband to 300,000 households in the state that are currently lacking service. The funding comes from American Rescue Plan Act allocations, the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, and other sources that were wrapped into Gov Jim Justice (R-WV)'s $1 billion plan released in October 2021.

Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar released the initial 2022 Texas Broadband Plan on June 15. The new broadband plan, from Texas' Broadband Development Office (BDO) outlines the state's goals for improving broadband access and affordability. Most notably, Fierce reports, the BDO aims to develop a statewide broadband map by January 2023.

I took part in a webinar last week for the National Rural Telecommunications Cooperative (NRTC) that talked about the good, the bad, and the money issues with the upcoming Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program grants. At the end of the session, the last question asked, “How do you reconcile some of the impractical aspects of the BEAD grant processes with the reality of the market?” My response to the question was to get immediately get involved with your State broadband grant office.

US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo announced that the Department’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding a $1.7 million grant to the Sullivan County Division of Public Works, Monticello (NY), to increase local internet connectivity. This grant is funded by the American Rescue Plan. This project will enhance community high-speed internet throughout Sullivan County, promoting job creation and economic diversification in the region. This EDA grant will be matched with $415,063 in local funds and is expected to generate $4.5 million in private investment.

The Federal Communications Commission launched a major initiative to provide high-speed internet service to rural Americans in 2020, dedicating $9.2 billion through the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) to entice companies to extend their networks to places previously deemed too c