Civic Engagement

Gov.

The Utah Broadband Center (UBC), part of the Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity, asks for public feedback on the drafts of the Utah Digital Connectivity Plan and Digital Equity Plan. Comments can be submitted online through July 6, 2023. The Utah Digital Connectivity Plan and Digital Equity Plan highlight Utah’s vision, goals, objectives, and strategies to help get all Utahns connected to affordable high-speed broadband internet and access to the tools and resources needed to succeed in the digital world.

The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) received roughly 1,447 written comments in response to its Artificial Intelligence Accountability Policy Request for Comment (RFC), which was issued in April, 2023, and is part of President Biden’s commitment to seizing the opportunities AI presents while managing its risks. The comments are available to the public at Regulations.gov: https://www.regulations.gov/docket/NTIA-2023-0005/comments. These comments will help inform

All states are tackling broadband accessibility in some way, but each is taking its own approach.

Ten years ago, long before the unprecedented amounts of federal funding in rural Internet infrastructure, Roger Heinen watched Islesboro’s population drop precipitously. In 2014, Heinen formed a small volunteer coalition to come up with a solution for the island of under 600 year-round residents. In 2016, voters approved a $3.8 million bond to fund the construction of a fiber-to-the-premises infrastructure capable of speeds of 1 gigabit per second.

The Biden Administration announced that Civic Nation and the US Department of Education are launching Online For All, a digital equity campaign working to close the digital divide by focusing on internet access, affordability, and equity for students, families, and all Americans. Online For All will work with nonprofit, government, corporate, and media stakeholders to educate communities about how the Biden-Harris Internet for All Initiative can help them access reliable, affordable high-speed internet. The partnership is kicking off with a Week of Ac

Collectively, we have come a long way together since the early days of [the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers] ICANN. In fact, this year marks the 25th anniversary of ICANN. As someone who was around for those early days, it’s amazing to think about how much the Internet has changed. When ICANN began in 1998, there were less than 150 million people on the Internet.

To further the development of the upcoming phases of the Digital Equity Act, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) issued a Request for Comment on March 2, 2023. The comment window closed on May 1, 2023, and a wide range of stakeholders from across the country submitted 252 written submissions.

Governor Gretchen Whitmer (D-MI) and the Michigan High Speed Internet Office kicked-off a statewide Michigan Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) Act Now initiative to increase awareness of the ACP, a $14.2 billion federal broadband benefit funded by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), that will connect more Michiganders to the long-term benefit that helps lower-income families pay for high-speed internet. The Michigan ACP Act Now initiative will unite a broad coalition of partner cities, community-based organizations and trusted institutions in partnership with EducationSup