The state has devoted $350 million to a rural broadband initiative over the past four years but seen little progress due to fights between telecoms and utilities over access to poles.
Installing broadband in the region is extremely difficult and expensive because of low population density and a rugged topography. But millions in federal funding has some officials hopeful that more residents will get connected.
The success of investments in broadband equity depends on pinpointing where gaps exist. New maps from Utah State University’s Center for Growth and Opportunity aim to bring them into better focus.
The state has poured $500 million into expanding Internet connectivity in rural areas but many residents are still experiencing extremely slow speeds, impacting their ability to do their jobs.
A study found the Pennsylvania county had the most homes and businesses, primarily in rural areas, with the slowest Internet connections in a 10-county region. The poor quality of broadband has become an equity issue.
The bipartisan infrastructure bill appears to transform how the federal government subsidizes broadband infrastructure. But evidence suggests that big companies may not allow the status quo to change without a fight.
A new report found that as many as 300,000 households in the city and St. Louis County lack high-quality Internet access and 25 percent of homes in the city do not even have a computer.
Gov. Tate Reeves signed a bill into law this week that will oversee how broadband funding is allocated across the state and help connect more residents. It will be headed by former state Sen. Sally Doty.
Digital redlining shares many things in common with traditional redlining, the deliberate withholding of loans and other key resources from residents of certain neighborhoods, largely along racial divides.
Municipal broadband is booming, growing 600 percent since 2018. These alternatives to private-sector Internet service promise better access and affordability to communities. But are they really cost-effective?
Nearly 50 percent of Gary residents are not subscribed to a broadband service. Town officials hope that $5 million of ARPA funds will eventually reduce that digital divide by 90 percent.
Unprecedented federal investment from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will soon land in state broadband offices. Maryland, Maine and Utah share their plans for putting those resources to use.
The federal Emergency Broadband Benefit was supposed to help connect the unconnected. A new study shows that the program didn't achieve this goal, but local areas can help increase program participation.
There are an estimated 7 million Texans across the state without high-speed Internet access, though the number could be much higher. But some hope that the implementation of 5G will help increase connectivity.
State lawmakers should be thinking about how to go on one-time spending sprees — such as funding infrastructure projects, including broadband, largely underwritten by the trillion-dollar infrastructure bill.
Prior to the pandemic, the state had more people working from home and better Internet access than average, but as remote work becomes increasingly permanent, workers continue to migrate and impact local communities.
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