1. Monthly archive
  2. June 2023

June 2023

States reach the unreachable with broadband line extension programs

Think about internet access in a community like a plate of crumbly cookies: Even if an internet service provider (ISP) takes a big bite out of each of the treats by servicing most addresses, the plate will still have broken pieces left behind. Such is the logic for statewide line extension programs around the US. The purpose of these programs is connecting homes and businesses just out of reach of existing last-mile i

Sponsor: 

Maine Connectivity Authority

Date: 
Thu, 06/29/2023 - 09:30

A briefing on the State of Broadband in Maine and the celebration and discussion of two major broadband and digital equity awards from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) that will expand access to high-speed, affordable, reliable internet in Maine.  Topics will include Maine's recent $30 million MOOSE Net Middle Mile award as well as the state's $272 million Broadband Equity Access Deployment (BEAD) allocation.


Sponsor: 

Information Technology & Innovation Foundation

Date: 
Tue, 07/18/2023 - 12:00 to 13:00

Amid debates surrounding children’s privacy and safety online, the topic of age verification has been more relevant than ever. Utah passed a law this year requiring social media platforms to restrict access to minors without parental permission, and Congress and multiple states are considering legislation that would similarly require platforms to verify users’ ages.


Reaction to BEAD Allocation Announcement

[This page is being updated]

"It's the biggest investment in high-speed internet ever. Because for today's economy to work for everyone, internet access is just as important as electricity, or water, or other basic services," said President Joe Biden.

Congratulations to all the states, NTIA, and FCC on the allocation of broadband funds

I get asked a lot what I think of the Federal Communication Commission's Broadband Map and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration's (NTIA) allocation of the $42.5 billion in broadband funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). Here’s what I think: this has been a fair process and a fair outcome. As far as I’m aware, no state has cause to be very upset. I highly doubt we’ll see lawsuits and angry senators yelling at Federal Communications Commission and National Telecommunications and Information Administration officials.

Remarks of Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel to the American Library Association Annual Conference

I know the evolution of libraries as the place where the public goes for books to the place where the public goes for everything is creating new challenges as you address new needs. But we know millions of people in this country are on the wrong side of the digital divide. Libraries help fill that gap. You have computer labs. You teach digital skills.

Another Twist in The BEAD Grant Process?

Word has been circulating that the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) recently informed State Broadband Offices that they must submit a final Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) plan to the NTIA one year after receiving approval of the Initial Proposal of grant rules. The ugly twist is that the NTIA is expecting the Final Proposal to include a final list of all BEAD grant winners. Everybody has always assumed that the Final Proposal would be just that – a proposal that describes and fine-tunes the rules being used to award grants.

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