Research

Fallout continues from the Wall Street Journal’s investigative journalism exposé that showed telecommunications companies in the US have left behind a massive network of copper cables covered in toxic lead. AT&T CEO John Stankey said “there is no public health crisis” to worry about, citing the release of lead test results by AT&T, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the state of New York.

The Colorado Broadband Office (CBO) has drafted the following document to meet the requirements for Volume 1 of its Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Initial Proposal. The CBO will commence a 30-day period for public comments on Volume 1 of the Initial Proposal. Volume 1 of the Initial Proposal includes the following requirements:

The Purdue Center for Regional Development (PCRD) partnered with the Indiana University Center for Survey Research (IU-CSR) to gather data on Indiana residents on several digital equity indicators. A surprising finding was that the difference between Whites and racial/ethnic minorities was not statistically significant but more importantly, they were “reversed” to what was expected.

The Leadership Conference Education Fund launched an unprecedented initiative to create a fair, just, opportunity-rich, and rights-advancing future for all in the face of artificial intelligence with the creation of "The Center for Civil Rights and Technology." The Center will serve as a convener, collaborator, and communicator on policy issues, ideas, and potential innovations that can advance, as well as protect, equity in society. It will be a pioneering hub for the civil rights community and other civil society organizations, academics, researchers, technologists, and the private sector

The key for states to unlock their portion of the $42.5 billion in federal Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) funds is the submission and approval of their Five Year Action Plans and Final Proposal.

Key findings on mobile coverage and fixed broadband availability across the UK as of April and May 2023: 

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is seeking information on behalf of the US Department of Commerce and the US Government to support the development of an implementation plan for the US Government National Standards Strategy for Critical and Emerging Technology (USG NSSCET). The USG NSSCET is intended to support and complement existing private sector-led activities and plans, including the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) United States Standards Strategy (USSS), with a focus on critical and emerging technology(ies) (CET). To inform the USG NSSCET implemen

In September 2021, the Economic Development Administration (EDA) awarded the Missouri Association of Councils of Government (MACOG) a 

According to a 2021 Pew Research Center survey, Black and Hispanic adults in the United States remain less likely than White adults to say they own a traditional computer or have high-speed internet at home. Eighty percent of White adults report owning a desktop or laptop computer, compared with 69 percent of Black adults and 67 percent of Hispanic adults. Eighty percent of White adults also report having a broadband connection at home, while smaller shares of Black and Hispanic adults say the same—71 percent and 65 percent, respectively.

In early 2020, as the coronavirus spread, schools around the world abruptly halted in-person education. To many governments and parents, moving classes online seemed the obvious stopgap solution. In the United States, school districts scrambled to secure digital devices for students. Almost overnight, videoconferencing software like Zoom became the main platform teachers used to deliver real-time instruction to students at home.