Technically

The Delaware Broadband Initiative hit a major milestone when its State Digital Equity Plan was formally federally approved, making the state officially eligible for millions in funding to execute it. The Digital Equity Plan was developed over months of stakeholder engagement, public meetings, surveys, polls and a public comment period. Delaware now expects to receive about $12 million in federal Digital Equity Act funds under the Internet for All initiative.

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) will provide massive opportunities for local and state organizations across the country.

The University of Pittsburgh hosted the 2022 Pennsylvania Broadband Symposium in April 2022 alongside state and regional partners to discuss challenges and strategize solutions around expanding broadband internet access in the state.

The Digital Connectivity Act passed in April 2021 established the Office of Statewide Broadband (OSB), with a goal to get all Marylanders connected to high-speed, affordable broadband internet by 2026. It was also tasked with administering the $300 million in funding from the federal government’s American Rescue Plan that Maryland allocated toward the expansion of affordable and reliable internet across the state. Kenrick Gordon, previously the state’s director of the Maryland Office of Rural Broadband, was later named director of the OSB.

Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott laid out the priorities and process for distributing the $641 million Baltimore City will receive as part of the 2021 American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) to the community. Broadband and small businesses figure to play a key role in the plans. With the investment in broadband, Baltimore City is further prioritizing internet connectivity at a time when the City’s yawning digital divide

Only an estimated one in seven eligible households have enrolled in the Federal Communications Commission's Emergency Broadband Benefit Program so far. The majority of those who have received the benefit were grandfathered in through Lifeline, an existing federal subsidy program aimed primarily at telephone users.

The Anti-Digital Redlining Act of 2021 (HR.4875), sponsored by Rep Yvette Clarke (D-NY), would require the FCC to investigate whether internet service providers have discriminatory practices based on income, race, color religion, national origin, and other factors within a geographic area. It also calls for a consumer-centric analysis of franchise agreements between local governments and telecommunications providers.