November 2021

Analysis

When Do We Get Our Broadband?

Benton Institute for Broadband & Society

Monday, November 15, 2021

City Of Greendale Partners With Cincinnati Bell To Bring Fiber Broadband To Residents

The Greendale (IN) city council approved a deal with Cincinnati Bell to bring fiber broadband to businesses and residents in the city. Mayor Alan Weiss says the fiber broadband will be a lot faster and more reliable than what Greendale businesses and residents are used to. Cincinnati Bell offers up to 1 GB which equals 1,000 MB per second. Currently, a lot of homes in Greendale have 25 MB per second or less. The minimum package offers 100 MB per second. Work to install fiber lines is expected to start in early 2022. It will take 18 months to two years to complete the installation.

North Carolina could have a ‘generational opportunity’ to expand broadband across state

North Carolina could be on the receiving end of more than a billion dollars to expand broadband internet access between the bipartisan infrastructure plan and the upcoming state budget. And that could lead to some of the largest-ever investments in broadband in a state with a rural population larger than any other, except for Texas. It still remains to be seen exactly how much North Carolina will get from the federal infrastructure bill, as the money is being distributed in a formulaic approach among 50 states and territories.

The Broadband Equity, Access & Deployment Program: $42.45 Billion for State Broadband Grants

Among the $65 billion allocated to broadband in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (the Act), $42.45 billion will be used to fund a last-mile broadband development grant program administered by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). The scale of this investment is unlike anything seen before in US history.

Senate heads into tech and telecom sprint

Senators' year-end to-do list includes key Federal Communications Commission nominations and more funding for broadband and antitrust efforts. All eyes are on the Democrats’ social spending package, which includes money for broadband and antitrust enforcement and gives the Federal Trade Commission a long-sought fining authority. White House National Economic Council Director Brian Deese projected confidence that the House would pass the package this week. Even if that happens, it will still need Senate approval, which will likely be pushed to December.