For nearly a decade, New York has pledged to provide universal high-speed broadband access, allocating over a half-billion dollars into expanding rural networks in some of the most remote areas of the state. While the efforts have yielded results — New York ranks second in the US in the percentage of the population with broadband available in their neighborhood — universal access remains elusive.
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act comes at a time when smart-city initiatives, which aim to use technology to make cities more responsive to their residents’ needs, are growing more common around the world.
Since President Joe Biden signed the $1 trillion infrastructure act into law last week, state broadband officials have expressed optimism that its $65 billion in broadband funding can close their digital divides for good.
Online courses are an increasingly important part of students’ college experience, but how does this impact what students glean from their college experience? In our study, just published in Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis (EEPA), we analyzed six years of institutional data (all before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic) for three cohorts of students (N=10,572). Overall, our study finds that online course-taking is associated with more efficient college graduation.
The Institute for Local Self-Reliance is thrilled to welcome DeAnne Cueller to the Community Broadband Networks Initiative, where she will serve as the Community Broadband Outreach Team Lead. With the confluence of local, state, and federal energy pouring into finding the right broadband solutions joining an unprecedented amount of money flowing over the next few years, the opportunity exists to move the needle in connecting local broadband champions to each other, as well as the resources and tools they need to build more locally accountable, transparent infrastructure.
US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has begun accepting applications for up to $1.15 billion in loans and grants to help people in rural areas get access to high-speed internet through the ReConnect Program. This announcement comes on the heels of the recently enacted Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which provides another nearly $2 billion in additional funding for the ReConnect program. USDA anticipates issuing a new Notice of Funding Opportunity to make the additional funds in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law available in 2022.
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