Chris Teale

In Texas, the Odessa City Council voted to allow the installation of infrastructure for citywide broadband internet under its streets by SiFi Networks in a deal worth more than $100 million. Under the terms of the 30-year contract elected officials agreed to, SiFi has access to all public rights-of-way to install, maintain and operate the fiber optic infrastructure necessary for an open access network.

Days after a federal appeals court decision left in place a California law that protects net neutrality in the state, more than half of registered voters said that they supported such protections, a new Morning Consult/Politico survey found. That support has remained relatively stable for several years, even after the repeal of federal rules. Among all voters, 55 percent said they supported laws that protect net neutrality, which prevents internet service providers from blocking, throttling or prioritizing certain content.

The digital divide facing tribal communities is stark and has remained pronounced despite the best efforts of advocacy groups and tribes themselves to help Indigenous people get online.

With the federal government slow to produce better maps of broadband internet coverage, state leaders are stepping up with their own efforts that they say will yield more granular information that leads to better decisions on the infrastructure buildout. Virginia became the latest state to unveil an effort to revamp its statewide broadband map in summer 2021, following Georgia's map launched in 2020.

In trying to push 5G to rural areas, telecommunication companies say they are faced with high costs to install infrastructure and not enough customers to defray those costs. Companies believe they would need to charge unreasonably high rates in order to cover their costs, which would likely mean fewer subscribers. If the costs of investing in 5G infrastructure to help roll the technology out nationwide are too burdensome, experts have a few ideas on how to help bear those costs, including using partnerships with local governments and encouraging carriers to work together.