Plus, the FCC is taking steps to update broadband data collection, more states have had their initial proposals for BEAD funding approved, Oakland got a grant to expand broadband infrastructure, and more.
Provider Comcast will deploy fiber across the city starting in the southwest, covering about one mile a day. It’s part of a broadband expansion that will include all or parts of Corcoran, Cologne, Grant, Hugo, Rogers, and Stillwater Township.
Two telecommunications companies have said a fiber cut caused by vandalism is responsible for cellphone and Internet outages in Key Peninsula and Gig Harbor earlier this month. The outages came to light around July 9.
Plus, initial proposals for BEAD program funding have been approved in two more states, findings from a new report emphasize the role libraries play in bridging the digital divide, and more.
Bids to date would put the total cost of the middle-mile fiber-optic network at $1.87 million. That’s less than the $2.2 million projected. If awarded, the contracts will connect as many as 865 homes and businesses to the city-owned system.
The list of potential uses for any leftover BEAD funding includes digital equity, and one state has a plan that would direct the money toward the work for years to come.
A $45.5 million grant from the state and the Massachusetts Broadband Institute will pay for high-speed Internet for Pioneer Valley communities. Four Internet service providers will make the installations in about 2,000 locations.
Buoyed by unprecedented federal funding as well as a widely accepted understanding that Internet is a fundamental part of modern life, states and cities confront the remaining obstacles to getting everyone online.
Whitfield County Board of Commissioners Chairman Jevin Jensen recently said that no resident within the county should be "left behind" when it comes to broadband Internet access.
The Statewide Education Network will create an internal system for sharing classes, educational materials and other resources. All of the state's districts and charter schools are expected to join the network by 2027.
