1. Monthly archive
  2. May 2023

May 2023

I. Strive for Equity Beyond Just Digital

Congress defines digital equity as “the condition in which individuals and communities have the information technology capacity that is needed for full participation in the society and economy of the United States.” The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act states that “achieving digital equity is a matter of social and economic justice and is worth pursuing.” Without digital equity, it is increasingly difficult to ensure the economic, political, and social rights and opportunities everyone deserves.

Visions of Digital Equity

All 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico are currently working on digital equity plans. One key component of the plans is the development of states’ visions for digital equity. These efforts are the initial state-level planning and envisioning at this scale and scope.

Loveland Pulse Municipal Broadband Network Gets Set to Expand

Loveland Pulse, a municipal broadband network in Loveland (CO), has seen considerable success since turning up its first residential customer in June 2020, and the company will be expanding to neighboring communities. Loveland Pulse was formed in 2018 by the city of Loveland and its local utility with the goal of getting high-speed broadband available community-wide.

FCC Releases Broadband Funding Map

The Federal Communications Commission has released the Broadband Funding Map. The Broadband Funding Map allows users to identify, search, and filter federal funding programs by the Internet Service Provider receiving funding, the duration timeline, the number of locations included in the project, and the download and upload speeds. In addition to depicting where broadband funding exists, the Broadband Funding Map contains broadband availability data as of June 30, 2022—the same data that currently appear on the National Broadband Map.

Leadership Conference Pens Letter in Support of the Affordable Connectivity Program

On behalf of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, a coalition charged by its diverse membership of more than 230 national organizations to promote and protect the rights of all persons in the US, and the 165 undersigned civil society organizations, municipal governments, and other interested groups, we write to request robust additional funding for the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP). The ACP’s current rate of expenditure is roughly $500 million per month.

FCC Extends Emergency Connectivity Fund Service Delivery Deadline

The Federal Communications Commission granted, in part, a Request for Waiver filed by the Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband (SHLB) Coalition and the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN).

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