1. Monthly archive
  2. April 2023

April 2023

Public Wireless Supply Chain Innovation Fund Grant Program – Expanding Testing and Evaluation

The Public Wireless Supply Chain Innovation Fund will invest $1.5 billion in the development of open and interoperable networks. By demonstrating the viability of new, open-architecture approaches to wireless networks, this initial round of funding will help to ensure that the future of 5G and next-gen wireless technology is built by the US and its global allies and partners—not vendors from nations that threaten our national security.

Consolidated Communications to Deliver Fidium Fiber Internet to Rural Maine Residents through Connect Maine Partnership

Consolidated Communications will bring Fidium fiber internet to 22,000 rural Maine homes and businesses as part of the Connect Maine Partnership, supported by a $18.3 million grant from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). This project will bolster Consolidated’s ongoing work to build fiber-to-the-premises broadband networks to more than 70% of the Company’s service area by 2025.

Digital Equity Office Receives Funding

Kansas City's Digital Equity Office is proud to receive the Missouri Office of Broadband Development's Digital Demonstration Project Grant for $25,000. Kansas City's Digital Equity Office will utilize this grant money to promote participation in the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP). The Digital Equity Office will partner with Essential Families, a not-for-profit community-based organization, to help enroll eligible Kansas City residents into the ACP. This money will specifically go toward the city's outreach efforts, including:

Verizon ‘not just chasing POPs’ in 5G mid-band race

T-Mobile grabbed a big head start on mid-band 5G deployments with its 2.5 GHz winnings from the Sprint merger, covering 260 million people with Ultra Capacity 5G by the end of 2022. Verizon is farther behind. Executives have said they plan to cover 250 million people, or POPs, with Ultra Wideband, which includes its 3.7 GHz C-band spectrum, by the end of 2024. CEO Hans Vestberg said the company is well ahead of schedule to reach that target.

San Antonio (TX) to expand internet access in underserved areas

Around 130,000 households across Bexar County lack adequate internet access, per a 2021 

China has equipment that can spy on us in our telecommunications networks. We must remove it now

Due to a shortfall in federal funding for a critical national security program under the Secure and Trusted Communications Act — commonly known as “rip and replace” — US telecommunications networks remain riddled with insecure equipment manufactured by companies beholden to the government of China that can do everything from capture Americans’ data to disrupt critical communications at US Strategic Command. The potential consequences of the widespread infiltration of U.S. networks by Chinese state-connected companies Huawei Technologies Ltd.

Who’s Afraid of Disparate Impact?

Over the past year, I’ve focused on investigating why the internet connection at your house is slow and what you can do about it. Tucked deep in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), signed by President Joe Biden in 2021, is a short provision giving

Aspen Institute Introduces its 2023 Digital Equity Accelerator Cohort

The Aspen Institute and HP Inc. announced the selection of ten not-for-profit organizations and non-governmental organizations in Malaysia, Mexico, and South Africa for the 2023 Digital Equity Accelerator. Each organization is working toward the digital inclusion of marginalized populations and, with the support of the Accelerator, is poised to expand its reach and impact over the next six months. Selected organizations include:

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