Infrastructure

The rural broadband industry has such a great success story to tell. In the face of transformative technologies, regulatory challenges and increasing competition, you have embraced that change, stayed committed and looked to close the digital divide by delivering the robust and high-quality services that you do every single day. Your commitment to sustainable networks and affordable services is what really has made rural communities fertile ground for innovation. We’ve seen that in so many ways, and this innovation contributes billions of dollars to the U.S. economy every single year.

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration preparing to award over $44 billion to construct rural broadband networks. Almost by definition, these networks will be built in rural areas where it’s hard to justify a business plan where revenues generated from the grant areas are sufficient to fund the ongoing operation and eventual upgrades to any broadband networks.

Fidium Fiber is now available to more than 7,600 homes and businesses in Berlin, Gorham, Randolph and Shelburne, NH. With the expansion of Fidium’s future-proof all-fiber network complete, residents can now connect to symmetrical multi-gig internet speeds and all the benefits that come with access to high-speed fiber connection. Fidium expansion in Berlin is part of a $90 million project by Consolidated Communications to bring fiber-to-the-home internet service to unserved locations in more than 35 towns in Carroll, Chesire, Coos, Grafton, Hillsborough and Sullivan counties.

Charter Communications—through its affiliates Charter Fiberlink – Michigan LLC, Charter Fiberlink – Missouri, LLC, and Charter Fiberlink CCO, LLC—was awarded Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) funding to deploy gigabit-speed internet service in certain unserved areas of Michigan, Missouri, and Wisconsin.

Navajo County Board of Supervisors and eX² Technology joined together with Governor Hobbs (D-AZ), community members, elected officials, and local, state, and national leaders to celebrate the official groundbreaking and construction of a more than 100-mile open-access, dark fiber middle-mile network infrastructure to expand broadband throughout Navajo County (AZ). The network will provide Navajo County with the ability to sustain the broadband capacity to support municipal fiber,

For residents in rural areas of Williamson County (TN), the wait for fiber internet service may soon be over.

For urban and rural communities, the digital divide is more than just the lack of access to high-speed internet — it’s a disconnect from economic and social ties as well as opportunities in a fast-changing society. Roberto Gallardo, Purdue University’s vice president for engagement, has spent the past decade analyzing local and regional community economic development, including the use of technology. He notes that the U.S.

On March 14, 2024, the Federal Communications Commission concluded that broadband is not being deployed in a reasonable and timely fashion. Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, Congress has allocated tens of billions of dollars to support broadband deployment so it may not come as a huge surprise that the FCC came to this conclusion. Approximately 24 million Americans (7% of the total U.S.

Arizona's goal of expanding broadband internet access in rural areas is taking a step forward with a public-private partnership.

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has approved Kansas, Nevada and West Virginia’s Initial Proposals for the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program, a cornerstone of the Biden-Harris Administration’s “Internet for All” initiative.