Internet/Broadband

It’s becoming clear that we are now deep into a fiber land-grab. By that, I mean that companies that overbuild fiber are moving as quickly as possible into markets to build fiber. The biggest broadband providers have publicly discussed their plans for building a lot of fiber in 2023. I call it a land grab because these providers are all hoping to get to towns and neighborhoods first in order to dissuade anybody else from building fiber there.

Louisiana's effort to expand broadband access in rural areas advanced with the groundbreaking of the state's biggest high-speed internet project yet. The project will bring cable internet to 9,140 households and 535 small businesses in Avoyelles Parish—the largest investment to date under the state's Granting Unserved Municipalities Broadband Opportunities program, dubbed GUMBO. Set for complet

Connect Humanity is excited to announce that Connect Humanity and Appalachian Community Capital are partnering to raise a $25 million fund Investing in Digital Equity in Appalachia (IDEA).

Free Apartment Wi-Fi networks are the most cost-effective strategy for states to close the digital divide. Twenty to twenty-five percent of the digital divide is concentrated in affordable multi-dwelling units (MDU). By allocating less than 18% of their Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) funds to deploy hotel-style Wi-Fi networks in these buildings, states can quickly and cost effectively impact the digital divide for millions of unconnected households.

Publishers are seeing a growing amount of AI-generated content that is so far beneath their standards that they consider it a new kind of spam. The technology is fueling an investment boom.

Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel circulated a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to her colleagues to initiate a proceeding to understand challenges related to distribution and supply in the video market, especially as it relates to independent programming. If adopted, this Notice of Proposed Rulemaking would initiate a new proceeding to seek comment on the current state of the marketplace for diverse and independent programming.

Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel asked her fellow Commissioners to support a proposal that would take further steps to enhance cybersecurity protections to protect school networks. Chairwoman Rosenworcel shared a plan to create a pilot program to invest in cybersecurity services for eligible K-12 schools and libraries.

The Federal Communications Commission announced it is committing over $13.9 million in a new funding round through the Emergency Connectivity Fund (ECF) Program, which provides digital tools and services to support students in communities across the country.

On June 12, 2023, Sens Roger Wicker (R-MS), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), and JD Vance (R-OH) wrote the Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel seeking additional funding for Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) Phase I auction winners.

US Senators Roger Wicker (R-MS), Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM), John Thune, (R-SD), and Peter Welch, (D-VT) reintroduced the Proper Leadership to Align Networks (PLAN) for Broadband Act. The legislation requires the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to develop a national strategy to close the digital divide and a plan to implement it.