Individuals who primarily Reside in a Rural Area
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The Kansas Affordability Plan
More than 70,000 Kansas households lack broadband access and over 35,000 additional households’ existing service options render them “underserved.” In addition, many of Kansas’ 8,500 community anchor institutions (CAIs) lack gigabit-level broadband service that would better allow them to provide full levels of support to their communities.
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Biden-Harris Administration Awards $9 Million to Nevada to Advance Digital Inclusion Efforts
The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) awarded more than $9 million to Nevada to implement its Digital Equity Plan.
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Tribal Broadband: Additional Assistance to Recipients Would Better Support Implementation of $3 Billion in Federal Grants
This report examines topics related to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration's Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program (TBCP) including: (1) grants that reached Tribes that had not received previous federal broadband support; (2) the extent to which NTIA provided support to recipients on financial sustainability; and (3) the extent to which NTIA provided recipients with technical assistance in the environmental review process. Tribal leaders have hailed the TBCP as a once-in-a-generation opportunity to close the digital divide on their lands, areas that have long lag
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NTIA-Funded High-Speed Internet Project Breaks Ground in Nevada
A project funded by a $24 million high-speed Internet grant from the Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) broke ground in Reno, Nevada. Internet service provider Zayo Group, which received the Enabling Middle Mile Broadband Infrastructure Program grant.
Sen Schmitt Letter to NTIA Assistant Secretary Davidson on "Covert Broadband Rate Regulation"
A June 11 letter to National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) Assistant Secretary Alan Davidson about the unlawful pressure campaign on states by the Biden Administration to regulate broadband rates through the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) program. It is my priority to hold this Administration accountable for its propensity to act with impunity.
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Where the Puck is Going: The Close of the ACP and Coming USF Reform
I recently testified at a Senate Communications Subcommittee Hearing in support of legislation to extend the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP).
Visionary eyes fiber frenzy in American West
Wyoming-based Visionary Broadband’s got quite the resume in both the fiber and wireless space. Visionary won nearly $27 million in ARPA grant awards to provide fiber broadband in remote areas of Wyoming. It’s also got a foothold in Colorado, Montana and Washington state. State grants have helped Visionary recently gain seven new markets, said CEO Brian Worthen. Those include three markets in Colorado, two in Montana and two in Wyoming.
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American Indian and Alaska Natives in Tribal Areas Have Among Lowest Rates of High-Speed Internet Access
American Indian and Alaska Natives living in tribal areas have among the nation’s lowest rates of high-speed internet access in the United States.
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USDA Providing $25 Million to Local Organizations, Cooperatives and Tribes for Broadband Technical Assistance
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development Under Secretary Dr. Basil Gooden announced today that USDA is making available $25 million through the Broadband Technical Assistance (BTA) Program to help local organizations, cooperatives and Tribes expand affordable, high-speed internet projects in rural communities. Funding is made possible by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021.
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Spectrum Launches Gigabit Broadband, Mobile, TV and Voice Services in Rutherford County, North Carolina
Spectrum announced the launch of Spectrum Internet, Mobile, TV and Voice services to more than 2,000 homes and small businesses in Rutherford County (NC). Spectrum’s newly constructed fiber-optic network buildout in Rutherford County is part of the company’s approximately $5 billion Rural Digital Opportunity Fund-related investment in unserved rural communities, partly offset by $1.2 billion in the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) RDOF auction. The company’s RDOF expansion will provide broadband access to 1.3 million customer locations across 24 states in the coming years.