County

Since 2020, the digital navigator model has spread like wildfire. Programs with trusted guides who assist community members with ongoing, individualized support for accessing affordable and appropriate connectivity, devices, and digital skills are now in hundreds of communities across the U.S. Thirty-nine states and territories included digital navigator programs in their state/territory digital equity/opportunity plans, many of whom included libraries as key community partners.

I know a number of counties and cities that have adopted dig once policies that require that every major road project includes burying empty conduit along new or reworked roads. A lot of them have found out that dig once is more complicated than they imagined. It’s a common misconception that dig once just means laying conduit in the ground while roads are dug up for repaving. It’s not that easy.

Sheriff John Montgomery of Baxter County, Arkansas, isn't going to take it anymore—if by "it" you mean "having to offer lower phone call rates to incarcerated inmates." Noting that such phone calls are "not required to be provided by law," Sheriff Montgomery is ending all inmate phone calls on March 30, 2025. The cause of Montgomery's wrath, and of his March 30 date, is the Federal Communications Commission, which set an April 1, 2025, deadline for smaller jails to lower the obscene ra

Brightspeed has made it easier for families and local businesses in Wake Forest and beyond to access multi-gig-speed internet. Joined by N.C. Department of Information Technology Representative Angie Bailey, State Representative Mike Schietzelt, Wake Forest Mayor Vivian A.

eX² Technology announced the agreement to deliver an approximate $43.2 million fiber optic middle mile network in Pima County (AZ). The open-access fiber optic network will enable high-speed, reliable internet access to support remote learning, telework, telehealth, and more while fostering digital equity and inclusion. As communities across the country wrestle with limited internet options, Pima County is taking the necessary steps to drive its future connectivity forward.

The Rio Grande Valley Broadband Coalition unveiled the RGV Broadband and Digital Opportunity Plan, a bold initiative to ensure every home, business, and community anchor institution in the region has access to affordable, reliable high-speed internet. Much of the RGV still lacks reliable internet access, holding the region back in a world that increasingly depends on digital tools. The RGV Broadband and Digital Opportunity Plan is a roadmap to change that, focusing on:

An interactive map shows how much progress Internet providers have made building out high-speed broadband across Washtenaw County (MI). Several Internet providers have been connecting more homes and businesses with fiber optic cable. Some addresses are up and running. Some residents can expect to be hooked up soon and other work is ongoing.

An “abject failure” is how one Culpeper County Supervisor characterized the county’s broadband project with All Points Broadband. At a January 2025 board meeting, All Points Senior Vice President of Business Development Tom Innes gave an update on the project, one that was extremely similar to the one he gave in November even though the company has a contracted deadline to be 80 percent complete with the project by the end of February.

Cook County (IL) Board President Toni Preckwinkle announced the inaugural recipients of the Digital Equity IMPACT Small Grants Program, a groundbreaking initiative designed to promote digital inclusion through storytelling and community engagement. A total of 15 organizations across Cook County have been awarded grants of $7,500 or $15,000, depending on the size and scope of their projects.

Digital connectivity is becoming more vital in driving economic growth, attracting inward investment, creating jobs and improving outcomes for people and communities. Improving availability and access to improved broadband is important for many of the key sectors within Harlan County and plays a crucial role in attracting inward investment to the area: