Universal Broadband

The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development announced today that nearly 89,000 Minnesota homes and businesses could receive new high-speed broadband service through the state's $652 million federal Broadband Equity Access and Deployment allocation. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration has formally accepted DEED's proposed map of final eligible locations that BEAD funding could serve.

Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar (R-TX) recommended federal officials change requirements for billions of dollars in broadband funding, including eliminating the low-cost requirement. Hegar suggested the change in a letter to Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), who is the chairman for the Senate committee that oversees the federal agency responsible for allocating federal broadband funds. In the letter, Comptroller Hegar says removing the requirement may increase provider participation.

A collaborative broadband project in Alaska is expected to deliver multi-faceted, transformative benefits to the Athabascan community of Nenana. The collaboration is between Nenana Native Association, Tanana Chiefs Conference, and Alaska Communications, a provider of communications infrastructure in Alaska.

Arkansas’ first round of Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment funding has yielded an efficient start, with just 2 percent of the state’s $1 billion allocation preliminarily covering 9 percent of eligible locations. The Arkansas State Broadband Office announced Feb. 7 that 18 applicants had been selected to receive $25.3 million in subsidies to extend broadband to 7,136 unserved or underserved locations within the state. The average requested subsidy per location was just $3,555.

The Public Service Commission of Wisconsin (PSC) is encouraging eligible organizations to apply for grant funding to improve the availability and affordability of telecommunications services to Wisconsin residents. The grant funding opportunities include the Nonprofit Access Grant Program and the Lifeline Outreach Grant Program. Both grant programs are funded by the Universal Service Fund to help Wisconsinites access essential telecommunications services. 

The Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) is a program created by the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) under former Chairmen Ajit Pai during the first Trump administration. The program was designed with two goals: 1) to extend broadband networks into unserved rural areas while 2) expending the fewest number of federal dollars possible. To accomplish this, RDOF used a “reverse auction” to select winning applicants (ISPs) that requested the least amount of federal funding to deploy broadband in eligible rural areas.

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration recently issued a directive encouraging states to get internet service providers (ISPs) to remove locations from Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment grant applications that can’t be served by broadband.

Named for Charles Benton, the founder of Benton Institute for Broadband & Society, NDIA created the awards to recognize leadership and dedication in advancing digital equity: from promoting the ideal of accessible and affordable communications technology for all Americans to crafting programs and policies that make it a reality. NDIA presents two awards: the Digital Equity Champion Award recognizes an outstanding individual who has made a difference in the field of digital equity, while the Digital Equity Emerging Leader Champion Award acknowledges an up-and-coming leader.

There is massive interest in the Washington State Broadband Office’s first application round for $1.2 billion in Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program funding. The first round, which closed January 31, resulted in 307 applications covering most of the project areas across the state. Awards will be made after all three funding rounds and federal approval. More hard work is ahead as the first round of applications undergo review and approval. Once those reviews are complete, future application round opening dates will be announced.

Governor Kathy Hochul (D-NY) announced a $26 million ConnectALL grant to Oswego County to construct a fiber-to-the-home network that will expand broadband access to about 10,792 homes, businesses and community institutions across 22 towns and villages. The project will construct 345 miles of fiber infrastructure, significantly expanding high-speed internet access throughout rural areas of the county. This grant is part of New York State's Municipal Infrastructure Program, which has now awarded over $240 million in funding for broadband expansion projects.