Friday, August 16, 2024
Headlines Daily Digest
How Maryland is Working to Make Broadband More Affordable
Don't Miss:
Montana First in Nation to Open BEAD Application Portal
Seven Star Communities: Calling for Applications for a New Initiative to Recognize Native Entities
Broadband Funding
Infrastructure
State/Local/Tribal
Wireless/Spectrum
2024 Elections
Platforms/Social Media/AI
Health
Kids & Media
Agenda
Stories From Abroad
Company News
Whether it’s the nature of the area to be served or specific rules that don’t fit well in a given state or for a given provider, there will be some situations in which the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program just doesn’t add up. But it’s important that we figure out where that’s happening on a case-by-case basis, rather than categorically shrugging shoulders and saying, “It’s just not for me or those potential customers,” without any further thought or review. So, this is to say: let’s give BEAD a chance. Take a serious look at the program in your state and the unserved or underserved areas that might be eligible for bidding and do some due diligence around what your participation might look like. If you don’t, someone else might (or will) and you could end up with a less experienced but well-funded competitor’s network on your doorstep.
(Shirley Bloomfield is the CEO of NTCA-The Rural Broadband Association)
Gov Greg Gianforte (R-MT) announced that the State of Montana will be the first state in the nation to open its Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) application portal. On August 1, Gov. Gianforte announced the Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) had given final approval to Montana’s BEAD proposal, allocating nearly $629 million to increase the state’s connectivity. Those interested may submit main-round applications to the Montana Broadband Office’s ConnectMT portal beginning August 13, 2024. The close date for applications will remain October 15, 2024.
According to the American Community Survey, 94.1 percent of Maryland residents have a home internet subscription of some kind which—while outperforming the national rate by 3.8 percentage points—still indicates that a sizable number of Maryland households are disconnected from the internet at home. Among Maryland households that do not subscribe to internet service of any kind, 12 percent reported that the primary reason they do not subscribe is the inability to afford service. The Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program provides federal funding to expand high-speed internet access by funding planning, infrastructure deployment, and adoption programs. Maryland’s BEAD plan serves as the state's broadband plan, establishing commitments and strategies to support broadband projects over the next five years in alignment with the Office of Statewide Broadband’s objective to close the digital divide in Maryland. The Initial Proposal presents the state’s method of implementing the plan.
A Virginia law streamlining broadband deployment across railroads is in courthouse limbo. The law is in effect, however, and the electric cooperatives it was meant for are using it. Virginia’s electric co-ops have completed work at about 37 crossings since the law went into effect on July 1, 2023, according to the Virginia, Maryland and Delaware Association of Electric Cooperatives. The legislation reduced the approval process time and lowered costs to internet service providers needing to cross railroads. But now, railroads Norfolk Southern and CSX have filed suit to have the law deemed unconstitutional. The State Corporation Commission, in orders filed in June, found that the proposed crossings will not cause undue hardship to the railways, and that compensation should be addressed after the work is done and the parties understand better how much it cost Norfolk Southern and CSX.
A plan to fund broadband Internet infrastructure with AT&T by Solano County (CA) to the tune of $1 million has stalled, as holdups through the process meant that American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds for it could not be allocated before the deadline. According to county staff, however, the ARPA funds will be funneled into other broadband projects around the county. Chief Information Officer Tim Flannigan said the county started a study in 2022 regarding broadband access throughout the county to promote digital equity. The county was poised to work with AT&T, he said, but California Public Utilities Commission holdups meant the money could not be allocated in time. However, county staff identified three other projects that the county can fund with those dollars through Comcast and two other Internet service providers.
Seven Star Communities is a new initiative to honor and celebrate Native nations accomplishing digital inclusion work. The Seven Star Communities program hopes to highlight outstanding work, and also provide an opportunity for Native nations to learn from each other. The application for Seven Star Communities 2024 will open towards the end of August. Seven Star Communities are Tribal governments, Native entities and organizations that are working toward digitally inclusive communities. The entities selected as Seven Star Communities provide models for sustainable solutions to support their digital inclusion ecosystem and address educational, health, economic, cultural, and social needs. The materials submitted in consideration of the Seven Star recognition will be public information for other communities to learn how other Native communities are adapting digital inclusion efforts in innovative ways and practicing effective, sustainable self-governance.
For a while, it looked like AI was going to blow up campaign politics in 2024. Powerful new tools, new persuasion techniques, less policing of social-media platforms, all were leading up to a landscape transformed, maybe dangerously so. With less than three months before the 2024 Presidential Election, despite a handful of controversies and deepfake scares, it hasn’t quite panned out that way. The evolution of AI as a tool for political microtargeting means the field is slowly getting more sophisticated in what it can do. But its effects have been more subtle, less of a revolution and more of a nudge in the direction things were already heading. Sasha Issenberg, a POLITICO editor who wrote the definitive book on the early growth of data-driven politics said, “There’s nothing conceptually new about this. About 20 years ago, the availability of consumer data, changes in database architecture and advances in statistical modeling made it possible for campaigns for the first time to have predictive insights about individual voters, as opposed to treating them as parts of large demographic categories or geographic zones.”
Benton (www.benton.org) provides the only free, reliable, and non-partisan daily digest that curates and distributes news related to universal broadband, while connecting communications, democracy, and public interest issues. Posted Monday through Friday, this service provides updates on important industry developments, policy issues, and other related news events. While the summaries are factually accurate, their sometimes informal tone may not always represent the tone of the original articles. Headlines are compiled by Kevin Taglang (headlines AT benton DOT org), Grace Tepper (grace AT benton DOT org), and Zoe Walker (zwalker AT benton DOT org) — we welcome your comments.
© Benton Institute for Broadband & Society 2024. Redistribution of this email publication — both internally and externally — is encouraged if it includes this message. For subscribe/unsubscribe info email: headlines AT benton DOT org
Kevin Taglang
Executive Editor, Communications-related Headlines
Benton Institute
for Broadband & Society
1041 Ridge Rd, Unit 214
Wilmette, IL 60091
847-220-4531
headlines AT benton DOT org
Share this edition:
The Benton Institute for Broadband & Society All Rights Reserved © 2024