President Donald Trump has terminated funding for programs ranging from broadband access to digital literacy. Public officials need to step up to help Americans still trapped on the wrong side of the digital divide.
Bringing fiber infrastructure to rural areas is expensive and time consuming. Wise County, Texas, found a way to deliver high-speed Internet access without wires.
Permitting obstacles too often slow deployment of federal infrastructure dollars.
The federal Affordable Connectivity Program has helped 23 million low-income households afford Internet connections to schedule or attend health-care appointments. But the program will soon run out of funds.
As the national debt continues to climb past $34 trillion, lawmakers are considering extending a broadband program that would drive inflation higher and deepen deficits, all while providing already-connected residents with Internet service.
Tens of billions in federal funds are on the way to spread high-speed Internet across the countryside. States should structure their grant programs to make sure markets are competitive.
In 2020, more than 18 percent of people living on tribal lands didn’t have access to broadband, compared to just 4 percent of people living in non-tribal areas. Tribes across the country are now taking matters into their own hands.
The grant will go to a local nonprofit that was selected last year as the city’s route to low-cost, citywide broadband. The organization aims to have every Cleveland household connected to fast Internet by mid-2025.
The state has completed all but one of eight bureaucratic requirements to award rural broadband construction contracts. Some experts expect nearly every household and business in the state to have an Internet connection by 2028.
Households in rural areas that earn less than $60,000 for a family of four can receive up to $75 per month for a broadband subsidy, but if those funds run out, many homes will be unable to afford continued Internet connection.
The upstate New York city is now offering free, high-speed and secure Internet service for hundreds of low-income residents. The city used $3.5 million in federal funding to develop the wireless network in many of the city’s least connected areas.
They are trying to take advantage of massive federal funding now available for broadband expansion and must deal with multiple hurdles. Resistance from major providers is just one of them.
Two years ago, state officials directed a total of $3.87B to close the digital divide and expand Internet access. But since then, the plans have been significantly reduced and lower-income neighborhoods have been left out.
Billions of federal dollars are coming to states to make broadband for all a reality, but funding alone doesn’t ensure results. Powerful resources are available to help state and local governments succeed.
Just a few months after the Starlink terminals began delivering connectivity, thousands of residents have signed up for the satellite-transferred service. While the connectivity isn’t perfect, the increased speed is life changing for many.
If you live in rural America, your Internet access can still be hard to come by. States can change the situation.
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