Localism

In a letter to the California State Senate, Governor Gavin Newsom (D-CA) refused to sign Senate Bill 556 which would prohibit local electric utilities from "unreasonably denying" the leasing or licensing of utility poles to communications service providers. The bill would also require mobile service providers to measure and report their progress towards meeting the goal of universal broadband access for the areas they provide service.

In the late 1800s, people knew Turney, Missouri, as a major railroad stop. Today, little retail or industry remains in Turney, with Kansas City just a 30-minute drive away. Left behind by large internet service providers, the residents of Turney are gaining access to improved broadband access through the Project OVERCOME effort.

Two federal laws passed in 2021 increased broadband funding to states by more than $20 billion. That’s on top of the $38 billion that the Federal Communications Commission can spend. And, if Congress passes the federal infrastructure bill, another $65 billion would head to states and cities with the goal of providing high-speed internet to nearly all Americans. The FCC estimates it would cost $80 billion to deliver broadband internet to everyone. All this spending would put us there.

Missouri’s Public Service Commission (PSC) is allowing Ameren Missouri to lease a section of unused fiber to another company seeking to expand broadband coverage. Ameren sought a 20-year “dark fiber” lease agreement with MCC Network Services to provide internet service along a 1.6 mile stretch between where the Mississippi River crosses from Missouri to Illinois.

In the midst of budget season, the Tompkins County (NY) Legislature convened for its regular Tuesday night meeting on October 5, addressing a wide swath of topics. The largest decision made was the county’s pivot in its efforts to expand broadband internet to the rural reaches of the region. In 2020, the county commissioned a study by Southern Tier Network and Fujitsu IT Services to determine the true number of households without broadband service in the county.

City officials in Tupelo (MS) allowed an electronic cooperative the option to use its utility poles to provide broadband services more efficiently to some Tupelo residents. The Tupelo City Council voted to accept a pole attachment agreement between the city and Tombigbee Fiber, which will allow the organization to place attachments on city-owned utility poles for broadband services. A small portion of city residents are customers of Tombigbee, but the organization does not offer broadband internet services citywide.

Located along the Hudson River, Yonkers is the gateway between New York City and the Hudson Valley. Through Project OVERCOME, the leaders of the digital opportunity zone known as Yonkers Zone, or Y-Zone, will provide free Internet access to approximately 250-350 households in downtown Yonkers using spectrum in the Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) frequency band.

The Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs (OCRA) announced Purdue University's Roberto Gallardo will be assisting with the Next Level Connections Broadband Grant programs. In this role, Gallardo will be responsible for guiding the suite of rural broadband programs, including program delivery, compliance and reporting, trainings and policies, partnerships and fiscal integrity. Gallardo joins OCRA on a contractual basis and will continue to serve as the Director of the Purdue Center for Regional Development and a Purdue Extension Community & Regional Economics Specialist.

At least 42 million people do not have adequate Internet access to learn and work remotely, or effectively take advantage of telemedicine in the United States. One out of seven children lacks Internet access at home, increasing to nearly a third of households with an annual income of less than $20,000.

As you might imagine, we thought there would be exciting news to share today about broadband. Not so much. As we wait for a vote on the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (could it come today?