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Filling in Connectivity Gaps with Open Access Fiber - Episode 554 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast

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NTIA Says State Muni-Bans Won’t Delay BEAD Funding

The NTIA (National Telecommunications and Information Administration) insists that the 17 state laws that hamper nationwide community broadband deployments won’t delay a massive looming infusion of infrastructure broadband subsidies. But one industry group isn’t so sure. BroadbandNow, a website dedicated to tracking the U.S. broadband industry, issued a report claiming that state restrictions on community broadband networks could delay the delivery of more than $42.45 billion in BEAD (Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment) grants made possible by the recently-passed Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA).

Colorado Repeal Of Community Broadband Ban A Turning Point Decades In The Making

Colorado state leaders have voted to eliminate long-criticized state barriers to municipal broadband networks. Community broadband advocates hope it will be a beacon for other states eager to bring more reliable and affordable high-speed Internet service to a market long dominated by monopoly providers. The new Colorado law, made after years of citizen backlash to the counterproductive restrictions, is the latest inflection point in a retreat away from monopoly-backed state laws stifling creative efforts to bridge the digital divide.

OCA-Asian Pacific American Advocates Challenges ‘Model Minority’ Myth to Close Digital Access Gaps

OCA-Asian Pacific American Advocates (OCA) seeks to document the digital access needs of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (AANHPIs). In doing so, they have bumped up against the 'model minority' myth, which obscures the digital access gaps in many AANHPI communities and has likely contributed to the dearth of research investigating AANHPI connectivity needs.

FCC nominee Gigi Sohn Named Executive Director of the American Association of Public Broadband

Two months after President Biden’s belated and long-stalled Federal Communications Commission (FCC) nominee withdrew her nomination after a year-long attack campaign against her, Gigi Sohn is announced at the Broadband Communities Summit in Houston, Texas as the first Executive Director of the American Association of Public Broadband. Sohn spoke during a summit luncheon and offered reflections on her grueling FCC nomination process and the state of broadband in the U.S. more

Cleveland, Tennessee’s City-Owned Utility Getting Into Broadband Business

The Cleveland, Tennessee city council has approved the creation of the Cleveland Utilities Authority, the first step in allowing the city-owned utility to get into the broadband business. Of the initial $72 million investment, $64 million will be funded by public-issued debt, and go towards construction of the network, which Cleveland Utilities states should begin in March of 2024 and be completed in “roughly two to three years” barring complications.

Maryland Awards $92 Million In Grants For 35 Projects

Maryland officials have announced that the state is doling out $92 million in new broadband grants to expand access to affordable broadband. The latest round of funding was made possible via the Connect Maryland Network Infrastructure Grant Program, and will help expand broadband access to 14,500 unserved locations statewide.

New Report: Universal Broadband Infrastructure Would Return $43 million Annually to Counties Across Rural Black Belt

In partnership with the Southern Rural Black Women’s Initiative (SRBWI), today ILSR is releasing a new report that examines the emerging link between high-speed Internet infrastructure, access to healthcare, and the economic implications involved. The report – “Increased Wellness and Economic Return of Universal Broadband Infrastructure: A Telehealth Case Study of Ten Southern Rural Counties” – has particular relevance for Black women living in rural broadband deserts as it details how universal, affordable, broadband infrastructure would return $43 million per year using telehealth across 10 counties in the Black Belt of Alabama, Georgia, and Mississippi.

Capital Construction of a Municipal Broadband Utility 101

Brieana Reed-Harmel, manager of the municipal-owned Pulse fiber network in Loveland, Colorado, shares her experience leading the city through the assessment and feasibility study that led to building a sucessful municipal broadband network. Reed-Harmel covers planning considerations, managing experts, scaling and quality assurance, as well as nurturing the human elements in a technical project

Bipartisan Push To Make Broadband Grants Tax Exempt Moves Forward

A bipartisan coalition of lawmakers continues to make slow but steady progress on legislation that would make federal broadband grants tax exempt, providing significant relief for big and small companies alike trying to bridge America’s stubborn digital divide. Telecom industry watchers have been warning for years that upwards of 21 percent of new grants would need to be paid back to the United States government in the form of taxation, complicating project financing and scale.