Democracy Now! Segment on Community Owned Networks

Wadsworth, Ohio officials say they’re making steady progress on the expansion of a city-owned broadband network that’s extending affordable fiber connectivity to the city’s nearly 25,000 residents. Originally a coaxial-based network, the city now says it’s in the process of delivering Wi-Fi to many city residents while they go block-by-block removing older coaxial cable and upgrading residents to more future-proof fiber optic connectivity.

Sherwood Broadband recently secured a $9 million grant from the Oregon Broadband Office Broadband Deployment Program to continue expanding Sherwood’s municipally-owned network. The grant award is part of $132 million in federal Rescue Plan funds the state is doling out to an array of community-owned broadband initiatives for 16 projects across 17 counties.

In the Northeastern part of Oklahoma, the OBO says it has partnered with several providers on fiber expansion, including a $1.4 million grant doled out to BOLT Fiber, a subsidiary of Northeast Rural Services, which is a division of Northeast Oklahoma Electric Cooperative. The cooperative’s pricing – especially gigabit – is notably lower than what’s seen in many U.S. coastal urban markets, where a lack of competition among regional monopolies has driven up the cost of access while driving down service reach, speed, and overall quality.

New York State officials have unveiled the first round of broadband deployment grants made possible by the state’s $100 million Affordable Housing Connectivity Program (AHCP). The plan aims to drive affordable fiber and cheap Wi-Fi to low-income state residents trapped on the wrong side of the digital divide.

In one of the most rural parts of the U.S., North Dakota is close to being the first state in the nation where every home and business has - or will soon have - access to fiber service, the gold standard of Internet connectivity. State broadband office claims $130 million from the infrastructure law will be enough to reach all of its broadband serviceable locations with fiber.

The City of Baltimore is using $2 million of its American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding to bring fiber to 12 new city apartment buildings. It’s the latest effort in the city’s attempt to bridge the digital divide and bring affordable Internet access to long-marginalized communities.