State

Maine Connectivity Authority (MCA), the public agency leading the statewide expansion of broadband and digital equity in Maine, announces the opening of the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Project Application, where applicants will submit bids to provide high-speed, reliable internet to locations still struggling with slow or unreliable service, or no internet connection at all. Maine was allocated $272 million in federal funding from the BEAD Program through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

Operators in New York state now have to abide by a new law requiring them to offer a broadband option for $15 per month, whether they like it or not (and many of them don’t). However, the war for broadband access rages on, and the state’s decision doesn’t make matters any less complicated. Originally passed in 2021, the New York law states internet service providers must offer low-income households a 25 Mbps internet plan for no more than $15 per month (or $20/month if it’s a 200-meg plan).

SpaceX's Starlink is trying to exempt itself from a New York law requiring ISPs to offer internet plans starting at $15 per month for low-income residents. New York’s Affordable Broadband Act (ABA) recently went into effect, forcing broadband providers to offer low-inco

Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar said his Texas Broadband Development Office (BDO) is piloting a competitive grant program to support the deployment of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite broadband service in rural, unserved areas of Texas, using $30 million from the state’s Broadband Infrastructure Fund. This initiative continues the Texas Legislature's directive to bridge the digital divide and ensure greater access to high-speed internet for all Texans.

The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has approved Nevada’s Final Proposal for the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program, a cornerstone of the Biden-Harris Administration’s “Internet for All” initiative to connect everyone in America to affordable, reliable high-speed Internet service. Nevada’s Final Proposal outlines its plan for using the more than $416 million in allocated BEAD funding to connect 43,715 households and businesses.

On January 13, 2025, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) announced its approval of Louisiana’s Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Final Proposal. Delaware’s approval followed the next day. With those two landmarks, coming as the fourth year since the passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) begins to elapse, the BEAD program is at last beginning to bear fruit.

AT&T has made it official that it plans to shut down copper networks everywhere except California by the end of 2029. This is not exactly news since the company has been quietly shutting down copper all over the country. California is a special situation because the California Public Service Commission has never deregulated AT&T as a local telephone company and the state is going to make AT&T prove to it that customers will not be stranded when the copper comes down. AT&T says it will offer an alternate technology to customers—either fiber or wireless.

Conexon Connect has completed its first fiber to the home project in Florida, a 2,000-mile network launched in partnership with Escambia River Electric Cooperative (EREC).

Gov. Kay Ivey (R-AL) has awarded a $2.9 million grant to expand high-speed internet access in Etowah County, Alabama. The grant was awarded to Spectrum Southeast in support of a project to make high-speed internet available to 352 previously unserved households, businesses and community institutions in the Ridgeville area. The grant money is being made available through the Capital Projects Fund program, which is supported by funds from the American Rescue Plan Act.

The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has approved Delaware’s Final Proposal for the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program, a cornerstone of the Biden-Harris Administration’s “Internet for All” initiative to connect everyone in America to affordable, reliable high-speed Internet service. Delaware’s Final Proposal outlines its plan for using the more than $107 million in allocated BEAD funding to connect 5,721 households and businesses.