The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) announced that it has awarded 19 grants as part of the Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program. The grants, totaling nearly $77 million, are being awarded in 10 states – Alaska, Arizona, California, Connecticut, Louisiana, Michigan, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Dakota, and Washington.
Maine resident Michele Richards has a problem that will resonate with other Mainers who live even just slightly off the beaten path: the internet at her house is so slow that it’s affecting her ability to do her job. Richards, who works remotely, needs to be on the computer all the time. She and her husband Jeff pay $70 each month to Consolidated Communications, the only internet provider to serve their road. In return, they’re supposed to get maximum download speeds of 10 megabits per second, but the internet that comes to their house on DSL technology is usually slower than that.
We’ve heard a lot over the past two years about the ways in which the shift to remote work and school really exposed the digital divide. Those who could easily connect to high-speed Internet have generally fared better since early 2020 than those who could not. What has been less discussed, however, are ways remote work has improved digital equity.
News of AT&T’s wireless price hike stole recent headlines, but the operator also quietly unveiled a price increase for certain fixed broadband subscribers. In a notice posted to its customer support website, AT&T said monthly rates for AT&T Internet customers are going up $3 per month. The document is dated May 2, 2022.
The Conference of National Black Churches, along with five other groups representing Black clergy and congregations, has called on the National Telecommunications & Information Administration (NTIA) to allow the $40 billion-plus broadband subsidy money it is handing out to states to be used for whatever technology -- fiber, wireless, etc. -- best fits their communities. That came in a letter to Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and NTIA administrator Alan Davidson.
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