County

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.

Kendall County (IL) wanted to deliver a better broadband experience to its residents. So, it reached out to the local incumbent providers which reacted with smugness and arrogance. The county was so put off by the incumbents that it instead pursued a public-private broadband partnership. Many of the county’s residents have been dissatisfied with their selection of broadband providers, which include AT&T, Comcast and Metronet. So, the county decided to put out a request for proposal (RFP) for a private company to bring some broadband competition to the area.

This is the third Federal Broadband Funding Report produced by NTIA, showing fiscal year (FY) 2022 data reported by 12 agencies across 70 programs making investments in broadband. This is the first Federal Broadband Funding Report to highlight trends across three fiscal years of data collected. For the first time, this report not only will release a dashboard of major findings but will also include a comprehensive view of broadband investment data reported across the last three data collections—reflecting broadband investments from FY 2020 to 2022.

An interesting article by the Economic Innovation Group (EIG) documents an economic rebound in left-behind counties. Economists, researchers, and politicians have used the term left-behind counties to denote the parts of the country that have experienced economic stagnation or decline compared to the national average.

Affordable access was top of mind for elected county leaders from across the United States at a roundtable discussion hosted by Cox Communications. Carmen Moore-Zeigler, a commissioner representing District 2 in Alabama’s Montgomery County, stressed that the internet is a key factor when it comes to inspiring young people. Stan Sallee, a Tulsa County Commissioner from Oklahoma serving District 1, echoed similar sentiments.

Whitfield County (GA) Board of Commissioners Chairman Jevin Jensen said no resident within the county should be “left behind” concerning broadband internet access. Speaking at a community listening session, Jensen and county consultant Jake Bearden heard from members of the public about internet access and broadband projects. Whitfield County was awarded $30,000 in grant funding in March from Connect Humanity’s Appalachian Digital Accelerator initiative. Bearden said the meeting was the “first step in making sure that all of Whitfield County has equal access to (broadband).” Jensen said the

I’m here today to urge you—city officials, business leaders, educators, digital equity advocates and city residents—to consider moving forward on building a city-wide, city-owned broadband network.  I was asked by a Texas Public Radio reporter a few days ago whether now was the right time, and I said—it’s past time. If the COVID-19 pandemic taught us anything, it was that affordable, high speed broadband Internet access is essential for full participation in our society, our economy, our education and health care systems, and our democracy.

Surf Internet and the Newton County (IN) Economic Development Commission (EDC) are paving the way for nearly all of the county’s residents to be connected to high-speed, fiber-optic internet by the end of 2024.

Town by town, Vermont is getting connected thanks to communication union districts (CUDs) rolling out fiber cable. The Vermont Community Broadband Board says the work of the CUDs is moving the needle, with the vast majority of Vermonters getting access to fiber connection, something they say is a change from a year-and-a-half ago. Davis Brakeley calls his experience of trying to surf the web just over a year ago “the dark ages.” Brakeley is on the board of trustees of the Shard Villa Residential Care Home in Salisbury.

Los Angeles County has started work on a wireless broadband network that will deliver high-speed connections for as little as $25 a month. The county signed a contract with WeLink of Lehi, Utah, to build the network and offer the service in East Los Angeles, Boyle Heights and South Los Angeles.