Government Technology

Kenrick Gordon, director of the Maryland Governor’s Office of Rural Broadband, sees numerous ways that improved broadband access can transform life and work in rural areas. But sometimes framing this issue is as simple as tying it all back to education. “If our children have to go to McDonald’s to do their homework, that’s not a good thing,” he said. Gov. Larry Hogan (R-MD) revealed a five-year, $100 million plan to expand rural broadband.

Seattle’s (WA) Technology Matching Fund is now open for applications from community and nonprofit groups for grants of up to $50,000 in service of work that improves digital equity. The city is seeking “applications for projects that increase access to free or low-cost broadband, empower residents with digital literacy skills, and ensure affordable, available and sufficient devices and technical support,” officials announced.

Gov J.B. Pritzker (D-IL) launched Connect Illinois, a $420 million statewide broadband expansion project included in the Rebuild Illinois capital plan. Rebuild Illinois dedicated $400 million to partnering with Internet service providers and $20 million to the Illinois Century Network, which currently services K-12 schools, higher education, public libraries, museums, state and local governments, and the health-care community. To oversee the broadband initiative, Gov Pritzker appointed 25 people from the private and public sectors to a broadband advisory council.

Caught in the crossfire of continued budget negotiations between North Carolina’s General Assembly and Gov Roy Cooper (D-NC) is the expansion of a program funding last-mile broadband infrastructure in the state. Cooper vetoed the budget passed by the Legislature in June. The grant program is one of many facets in the Broadband Infrastructure Office’s (BIO) mission to facilitate high-speed Internet access statewide by June 2021.

Following his July 23 announcement establishing the Arkansas State Broadband Office, Gov Asa Hutchinson (R-AR) announced “Arkansas Rural Connect,” a new $25 million grant program within the Arkansas State Broadband Office. The goal is to provide high-speed broadband to rural communities throughout Arkansas by 2022, as outlined in the State Broadband Plan released in May. The Arkansas Rural Connect (ARC) program will provide grants to qualifying communities of at least 500 people to deploy high-speed broadband to its residents.