Individuals who primarily Reside in a Rural Area

Charter and Brightspeed have formally announced broadband funding wins in the latest round of funding through the North Carolina Growing Rural Economies with Access to Technology (GREAT) program.

Kwikom--a broadband provider based in Kansas that also serves some markets in Missouri, Nebraska, and Oklahoma--has begun work on fiber deployments in several Kansas markets. Deployments in some of these markets were funded, in part, through a state broadband program and, in part, by funding provided by local governments. The total investment will be $12 million. Over 7,000 homes and businesses will be reached. The markets that will be partially grant-funded include Pomona, Quenemo (KS), and over 20 square miles of rural area between Ottawa and Quenemo.

The future for rural areas without internet access could be bleak, said Simone of GrantWorks. If an area lacks the internet connectivity businesses and employees need for work and life, they won’t stay there. Communities that do invest in broadband, however, could grow. That's why the East Texas Council of Governments is planning for broadband expansion in the region.

On July 23, 2023, the Federal Communications Commission adopted the Enhanced A-CAM Order, establishing the Enhanced Alternative Connect America Cost Model (A-CAM) program as a voluntary path for supporting 100/20 Mbps broadband deployment throughout the rural areas served by carriers currently receiving A-CAM support and in areas served by legacy rate-of-return support recipients.

Vermont’s vision for broadband equity, access, and deployment is that Vermonters— now and in the future—have universal access to reliable, high-quality, affordable, fixed broadband at speeds of at least 100/100 Mbps, and that all Vermonters and institutions have the tools and skills to maximize the value Internet connectivity can offer. This Five-Year Action Plan outlines how Vermont can achieve this vision, what its current state is, the state’s needs and gaps, and its plan for action. The goals of Vermont’s BEAD Five-Year Action Plan are to:

Pennsylvania is home to many diverse communities, a large number of which are disproportionately impacted by various barriers and deficiencies that prevent the attainment of digital equity for residents. To address these barriers and deficiencies, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has developed Connecting the Commonwealth: A Five-Year Strategy Toward Internet for All.

Administered by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program will provide funding to the State of Wisconsin to expand high speed internet access by funding planning, infrastructure deployment and adoption programs. Wisconsin’s vision is that all Wisconsinites will have equitable access to affordable broadband service and the capacity to fully engage in a digital society. High-speed internet will benefit all residents and communities.

South Carolina is excited to utilize the approximately $551 million of its allocated Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) funding to take the next steps to improve access to high-speed broadband across the state and has articulated its vision, goals, strategies, and other relevant information in this Five-Year Action Plan to describe both what the State of South Carolina intends to accomplish and how it intends to do so.

North Carolina’s five-year action plan for the state’s Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program funding has been approved by both the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The  Division of Broadband and Digital Equity made the draft plan available for public comment earlier in summer 2

The Kansas Office of Broadband Development submitted the state’s comprehensive Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) Five-Year Action Plan (FYAP) to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA).