Digital Divide

The Federal Communications Commission's  Wireline Competition Bureau provided guidance to Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) and Connect America Fund (CAF) Phase II support recipients and other stakeholders regarding the processes for provider defaults. Support recipients are showing significant progress in meeting their deployment milestones and there is no demonstrated need for widespread relief from the RDOF and CAF Phase II default penalties.

Vermont-focused broadband provider Burlington Telecom has introduced two service plans that it says will help subscribers who previously depended on the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP). Burlington Telecom, which serves the city of that name and nearby communities, is offering two low cost programs. One is priced at $9.95 per month and offers 50 Mbps symmetrical service.

AT&T CEO John Stankey said the most critical issue facing the telecommunications industry is the effective implementation of Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program. To close the digital divide, Stankey said, additional policies should be created to ensure that all BEAD Program funds (“every dollar of taxpayer money”) are used to expand access to broadband as quickly as possible.

Israel and the United Nations are negotiating the deployment of Elon Musk's SpaceX Starlink communications system in 

NATOA, the National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors (NATOA) recently made Community Broadband and Digital Equity Awards to three communities and recognized the strides the cities have made in tackling the digital divide.

The Maine Connectivity Authority awarded more than $12 million in grants to fund digital improvements to 12 community organizations across Maine. The grants are part of the Maine Connectivity Authority’s Connectivity Hubs Program, which will help community anchor institutions—such as libraries, community centers, municipal and tribal buildings, and affordable housing developments—provide workforce training, education and telehealth services in areas most impacted by a lack of access to high-speed internet.

The South Carolina Broadband Office (SCBBO) announced the historic conclusion of its American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) grant programs that have resulted in the commitment of $400 million to expand high-speed internet access to over 112,380 unserved or underserved Broadband Serviceable Locations (BSLs) statewide.

The North Carolina Department of Information Technology’s (NCDIT) Division of Broadband and Digital Equity announced an additional $112 million in Completing Access to Broadband (CAB) program projects to connect 25,903 households and businesses in 19 counties to high-speed internet. These projects will be funded by more than $61 million from the federal American Rescue Plan awarded by NCDIT, more than $25 million from counties and nearly $26 million from selected broadband providers:

The Healey-Driscoll Administration, in partnership with Massachusetts Technology Collaborative's (MassTech) Massachusetts Broadband Institute (MBI), awarded $45.4 million in grants through the state’s Broadband Infrastructure Gap Networks Program, a program funded through the U.S.

This is the third in a three-part series about the State Digital Equity Capacity Grant Program announcement from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA).