Internet/Broadband

On November 18, 2024, Louisiana’s Office of Broadband Development and Connectivity (also known as ConnectLA) posted its Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Final Proposal for public comment, which was an historic achievement. Not only did Louisiana finish months ahead of other states, but it appears to have achieved the BEAD program’s objective of getting on a track for universal broadband coverage—and overwhelmingly by means of projects that will use best-in-class, end-to-end f

The urgency of bridging the digital divide has never been clearer. With millions of Americans in unserved and underserved areas still waiting for reliable internet access, the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program offers an unprecedented opportunity to achieve universal connectivity. Yet, the scale of the challenge demands that state broadband offices move with both speed and precision.

Arkansas distribution cooperatives are celebrating building future-proof fiber optic broadband access to more than 1 million rural residents within seven years. “No longer does a person have to live in a metropolitan area to have access to lightning-fast internet service,” said Vernon “Buddy” Hasten, president/CEO of Arkansas Electric Cooperative Corp.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced a public workshop for December 10 at 3:00 EST to describe the process for challenging the FCC cellular data maps. The primary purpose is to discuss how local governments can submit bulk challenges to the FCC cellular data map. In September, the FCC announced a new $9 billion 5G Fund for Rural America that will be used to bring cell towers to rural areas with poor coverage.

Internet-service providers have been required since earlier in 2024 to list standardized price and speed data on labels that look like the nutrition-facts panels on packaged foods, allowing consumers to compare plans. But broadband users often don’t know to look for them. Or can’t find them.

Senate Commerce Committee Chair Maria Cantwell (D-WA) secured just over $3 billion to ensure communities across the country can remove and replace Chinese-owned telecommunication equipment from U.S. networks.

If T-Mobile is contemplating a bigger footprint in fiber, it’s not showing its cards, which would be dumb, right? Instead, it’s publicly digging in its heels right where it’s at, which, by the way, isn’t a bad place. At over $284 billion, its market cap recently set a record as the highest ever for a U.S. service provider, far exceeding AT&T and Verizon’s current valuations. It remains a darling of Wall Street.

Kansas Governor Laura Kelly announced that applications will open Thursday, Dec. 12, for a second round of the Advancing Digital Opportunities to Promote Technology (ADOPT) program. The program will provide $10.7 million to organizations working to expand access to public wi-fi and connected devices. ADOPT is built around two key categories:

Vivek Ramaswamy wants to use the Department of Governmental Efficiency to update the government's antiquated technology and stop fraud in government programs, efforts he called “low-hanging fruit” for his work alongside billionaire Elon Musk. The duo is leading the DOGE, which—despite the name—is an advisory effort, not a government department.

Spectrum announced the launch of Spectrum Internet, Mobile, TV and Voice services to more than 1,000 homes and small businesses in Kenosha County, Wisconsin. Spectrum’s multi-year Rural Construction Initiative is an investment of approximately $9 billion – partly offset by over $2 billion in government support funding. This network expansion project in Kenosha County was funded partly through private investment made by Spectrum. About 24.05 percent of the total cost of the project, which was $872,171, was financed with federal funds.