Localism

Inequitable access to the internet became a glaring public health issue during the pandemic. Here’s how three communities addressed the digital divide equitably and quickly:

Municipal broadband access will expand to parts of underserved unincorporated Larimer County (CO) thanks to a partnership between the county and the city of Loveland (CO). Larimer County’s Board of Commissioners approved an amendment to an existing agreement between Loveland and the county as part of their partnership to provide broadband services to parts of unincorporated Larimer County through Loveland Pulse, the city’s municipal broadband service.

Four Front Range (CO) communities are joining forces to provide high-speed internet to their residents. Berthoud, Mead, Milliken and Johnstown (CO) will work together to bring broadband internet into their towns. The four communities are working together to appeal to broadband providers. While individual small and rural towns may struggle to receive high-quality broadband, the united front is intended to bring in more potential providers.

On February 10th, Next Century Cities released "What Comes Next? A Community-Centered Approach to Legacy Network Retirement," a paper that advocates for the Federal Communications Commission to revisit consumer-protection safeguards to guide legacy telecommunications network retirement.

Pew Charitable Trusts assesses broadband grant scoring metrics, with side-by-side comparisons of the metrics used by Indiana, Minnesota, and Virginia. These three states represent both relatively well-established state broadband grant programs as well as
programs that updated their scoring systems in 2020 and 2021. Major points include:

The Pew Charitable Trusts provides information on the “challenge processes” in state broadband grant programs, with key features from a variety of states. Summary points include:

Washington County (PA) has begun a three-year, $30 million project to expand internet access in the rural county, which is located about 35 miles south of Pittsburgh (PA). The first baby steps in the project will bring service to about 50 homes in Avella, home to fewer than 1,000 people, and also to the nearby Meadowcroft Rockshelter and Historic Village (PA).

The Santa Cruz County (CA) Board of Supervisors voted in favor of two initiatives to better meet the needs of its public. First, supervisors allocated $500,000 in grant funding to Cruzio Internet with the agreement the company would expand broadband access to underserved populations across the county — an effort that will expand Cruzio's existing Equal Access Santa Cruz County project. Equal Access is a collaboration between Cruzio and the Community Foundation of Santa Cruz County that has provided fast Internet to families who need it for a maximum of $15 a month.

Brandy Reitter has begun her newly appointed role as Executive Director of the Colorado Broadband Office (CBO). Reitter is taking the helm amid historic funding opportunities that have the potential to bring reliable broadband to every community across the state. Reitter will drive the state’s broadband strategy to provide equal access for all Coloradans. Among her many leadership responsibilities, Reitter will direct substantial federal and state funding expenditures by working with industry, communities and agencies to ensure the greatest impact for digital literacy and inclusion.