Localism

Jared Mauch, the Michigan man who built a fiber-to-the-home Internet provider because he couldn't get good broadband service from AT&T or Comcast, is expanding with the help of $2.6 million in government money. In January 2021, Mauch was providing service to about 30 rural homes including his own with his internet service provider (ISP), Washtenaw Fiber Properties LLC.

The irony — and frustration — of Cleveland’s status as one of the least-connected cities in the country is that we are home to a number of the early digital inclusion leaders that helped to put the issue on the national stage. So, why haven’t we made more progress towards digital equity? The answer is leadership, and the opportunity to reverse this trend is now.

The US Conference of Mayors (USCM) President Miami Mayor Francis Suarez named Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell as the first chair of the organization’s new Standing Committee on Technology and Innovation.

The Hollins Market neighborhood in Baltimore, Maryland, is a desirable place to live and work. It takes its name from Hollins Market, the oldest public market building still in use in Baltimore, which is in the heart of the neighborhood. Hollins Market is also the location of Hollins House, a high-rise apartment building that houses seniors and people with disabilities. Most Hollins House residents qualify for Section 8 public housing vouchers, which help people with low incomes rent homes on the private market. A large number of residents are refugees or military veterans.

Countless people come to Minneapolis (MN) Central Library to check out a book, surf the web or even escape the hot summer air. Library staff is nearby – waiting to serve you in any way possible so you can leave with your needs met, even if those needs take a little longer to figure out. Hennepin County (MN) employees like Crystal Hunter-Porte have been learning about the problems impacting the people who walk through the doors. Some days it's the heat, but other days, it's access to the internet.

For years, people have quietly endured exploitative and increasingly expensive internet services while relying on crumbling infrastructure. That all changed recently when a new local cooperative built internet infrastructure in Southwest Detroit. This new internet option, a point-to-point mesh network, is run by organizers from Grace in Action. Created in 2015, the program is called the Equitable Internet Initiative (EII) and is a partnership with the Detroit Community Technology Project.

The Federal Communications Commission is revamping its Broadband Data Collection Program. Meanwhile, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) is working to distribute tens of billions of federal dollars to support state and local broadband initiatives.

Southport (ME) voters have estimates on how much it will cost to build their own broadband network or connect underserved residents. They do not know exactly how much has been spent to rally opposition against it. It is an example of how big-campaign tactics are coming to smaller communities that are looking to develop their own broadband systems. The archipelago town of just 600 people off Boothbay Harbor (ME) has seen mailers and digital ads linked to the incumbent internet provider and allies. Spending on the issue does not have to be disclosed because of a campaign finance loophole.

The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA) has the potential to address several of the primary issues historically associated with broadband access in America, including funding concentration among few internet service providers (ISPs), unreliable data regarding broadband coverage, and device ownership disparities on the basis of income and age. This project studied a set of outstanding broadband projects using ARPA funding to understand how localities are addressing the critical issues of accessibility, affordability, and adoption to infuse equity into their broadband expansion efforts.

A basic human right — the ability to fully participate in modern life via affordable, reliable, high-speed internet service — remains out of reach for many. The Biden administration recently announced it had reached agreements with 20 leading internet providers, covering more than 80 percent of Americans, to provide households eligible for the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) high-speed internet plans for no more than $30 a month. But are those that can receive the benefit getting what they need to enroll?