State

Maryland Digital Equity Index

To help policymakers, leaders, and residents better understand the state's digital divide, the Community Development Network of Maryland has a new map that shows where gaps in digital equity are more (or less) severe throughout the state. The Maryland Digital Equity Index shows how digital inequity afflicts urban and rural parts of Maryland.

Indiana Awards $760,727 to Expand Broadband to 200 Location Across the State

Lieutenant Gov Suzanne Crouch (R-IN) and the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs have awarded $760,727 in third-round funding from the Indiana Connectivity Program to expand broadband access to 197 addresses across 28 Indiana counties.

Nearly 450,000 Tennesseans are without reliable broadband. Is the connection getting better?

Nearly 450,000 residents in the state don't have adequate broadband, according to the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development. The office has been tracking the data for years and will roll out its own map in the fall of where Tennesseans lack access to high-speed internet of at least 100 Mbps downstream and 20 Mbps upstream. This measurement is new for the department, so new that the Federal Communication Commission doesn't have that measurement on their own maps, which they believe will show up in the next iteration of data in late 2022 to early 2023.

Colorado Announces Digital Government Strategic Plan

Gov Jared Polis (D-CO) and the Colorado Office of Information Technology (OIT) launched the Colorado Digital Government Strategic Plan.

Michigan All-In on Closing the Digital Divide with American Rescue Plan Support

On October 6, 2022, the U.S. Department of the Treasury approved Michigan's plan to use its full Coronavirus Capital Projects Fund allocation to support broadband expansion in the state.

Spectrum Begins Construction on Network Expansion in Wexford County, Michigan Using Rural Digital Opportunity Funds

Spectrum is constructing a fiber-optic network expansion project that will bring gigabit broadband and other Spectrum services to over 4700 homes and small businesses in Wexford County (MI). Spectrum services are already available to some residents and small business owners in the buildout area. The buildout is part of Spectrum’s approximately $5 billion investment in unserved rural areas, which includes more than $1 billion won in the Federal Communications Commission’s Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) auction.

Virginia Taps Electric Companies to Help Expand Rural Broadband Access

Investor-owned utilities—usually large, publicly traded electricity providers that are regulated by state public utility commissions—can have a major impact in delivering broadband to rural communities and other underserved areas by allowing broadband providers to leverage existing utility infrastructure for new high-speed internet connections. Virginia is one of the first states to employ this strategy through its Utility Leverage Program, which aligns the state’s broadband goals with efforts to modernize its electrical infrastructure to successfully expand broadband service into areas tha

Louisiana rejects Sparklight protest of Conexon's broadband grant

Louisiana officials have rejected a protest from Cable One's Sparklight which aimed to stop the state from awarding a $4 million grant to Conexon to build fiber broadband to 851 locations in East Carroll Parish (LA). Conexon was one of several service providers to receive broadband infrastructure grants through Louisiana's Granting Unserved Municipalities Broadband Opportunities (GUMBO) program as part of a $130 million funding round.

Massachusetts to Launch Broadband Infrastructure Gap Networks Grant Program with Capital Projects Fund Award

Broadband is critical to strengthening our economy, improving educational opportunities, and enhancing the delivery of health care, public safety and other government services. “If you can’t play in this space in the 21st century, you discover that your opportunities are limited,” said Governor Charlie Baker (R-MA).

2022 Digital Inclusion Toolkit

The New York State Library recently released the 2022 Digital Inclusion Toolkit. This new resource is aimed at empowering libraries and other community organizations as they move forward together with digital inclusion and digital equity work.