Community Broadband Media Roundup - December 23

Alabama

Two more grants awarded through Alabama broadband accessibility fund by Sean Ross, Energy Institute of Alabama

 

California

Roughly 25 percent of Fresno County, Calif., lacks Internet by Tim Sheehan, Fresno Bee

 

Maryland

Support Choptank's broadband initiative, Star Democrat

 

Minnesota

Koochiching County establishes benchmark with Intelligent Community Report, International Falls Journal

 

Missouri

Kansas City, Missouri, Iowers emphasis on ‘smart city’ projects by Ryan Johnston, Statescoop

 

Pennsylvania

How Pittsburgh built equity, National League of Cities

 

Rhode Island

Town to enter talks with broadband vendor by Lars Trodson, Block Island Times

 

South Dakota

Connecting South Dakota’s rural communities to opportunities in business, education, health care and beyond by Julie Gross, USDA 

 

Texas

Fed-up with slow and spotty Internet, a small Texas town decided to build its own high-speed network by Melissa Repko, The Dallas Morning News

 

Virginia

Roanoke County looking for feedback on broadband service, WDBJ

Agreement aims to install miles of fiber optic cable in Orange County, CBS 19

 

Washington

Anacortes fiber installation timeline still uncertain by Jacqueline Allison, GoAnacortes 

 

West Virginia

USDA invests $5.6 million in broadband for rural West Virginia communities, USDA

Counties get $5.6 million to fund broadband by Evan Bevins, Marietta Times 

 

General 

What we learned about the digital divide in 2019, Benton Institute for Broadband & Society

“The Wall Street Journal profiled such communities in southeastern Ohio where library parking lots are still occupied after hours as people make use of free Wi-Fi, their only option for Internet connectivity. "This isn’t just about not being able to play the latest videogames online or stream movies on a phone. For people without broadband connections, it’s much harder to do things like conduct research for schoolwork, grow their own businesses or even find work online. On the path to a better life, it’s at least a detour, if not a roadblock," the article reads.”

Cooperatives provide 72.7% of fiber broadband in rural areas by Joan Engebretson, Telecompetitor 

How state policy shapes broadband deployment, Pew Research 

Report finds 20.5 million U.S. fiber broadband homes, nearly 40% of U.S. homes passed by Joan Engebretson, Telecompetitor 

Thoughts on rural broadband subsidies for the new decade by Christopher Ali, Benton Institute for Broadband & Society 

CAF II Auction support for 2,121 winning bids ready to be authorized, Federal Communications Commission 

Broadband DATA act unanimously passes senate, US Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, & Transportation