BroadbandBreakfast

The Mississippi broadband office is responding to allegations raised by a legal organization that claims the state is failing to conduct equitable local coordination and outreach with underrepresented communities in preparation of allocating $1.2 billion to expand broadband infrastructure.

In June 2023, President Joe Biden announced how more than $42 billion in Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) funding will be allocated across the US and its territories to bring 100% broadband access to nearly 60 million unserved or underserved Americans within five years. Now, the real work begins: determining how 50 states and six territories will put that funding to work. Despite the many funding initiatives aimed to solve the problem in the US, those finances are finite and currently trending in a “fiber-first” direction.

As states begin to receive funds from the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Act, they need to lay the groundwork for high adoption and fiscal sustainability said Brookings Institute panelists. The majority of the BEAD program’s $42.5 billion in funding has yet to be disbursed, and state allocations are expected by June 2023.

In term of impact on broadband connectivity, “Covid-19 doesn’t even compare to the Superbowl or series finale of Game of Thrones,” said Federal Communications Commission Advisor Evan Swarztrauber. In other words, we're in a "so far, so good" moment: The internet seems to be balancing increased bandwidth demand with supply. Swarzrauber, policy advisor to FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, added that more extreme measures to manage internet connectivity are “not necessary at this time,” praising this outcome as “a testament to the strength of the U.S. broadband networks.”

The digital divide is a real division in the country, affects more than just rural areas and keeps Americans from crucial access to 21st Century skills, a diverse panel of digital inclusion experts said at Next Century Cities' Bipartisan Tech Policy Conference. The digital divide affects more than just rural areas, said National Digital Inclusion Alliance Executive Director Angela Siefer. Benton Institute for Broadband and Society Senior Fellow Jonathan Sallet compared the conventional focus on internet access and subscriptions to the needed prioritization on technology and people.