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Unbuffered Live! Coming Tuesday, April 28th at 2pm ET
Join us for our very first episode of Unbuffered Live! at our new time, on Tuesday, April 28th at 2pm ET. Host Christopher Mitchell will be joined by guests Doug Dawson (CCG Consulting), Heather Mills (ITG) and Drew Garner (Benton Institute for Broadband and Society) to talk about the intersections of tech, Internet access, and policy.
B4DE Reprise: Following the Money on Digital Equity and AI Data Centers
With tax day as a backdrop, the ILSR Community Broadband Networks Initiative and the National Digital Inclusion Alliance convened its quarterly Building for Digital Equity livestream yesterday that shined a light on how public dollars and tax policy intersect with digital equity. The event – an ongoing series sponsored by UTOPIA Fiber – brought together community organizers, policy experts, and local government leaders on the frontlines of working to expand opportunities for those being left in the digital dust – with a special focus on how the emergence of AI hyperscale data centers are impacting communities and how communities can fight for a better deal.
A Cap, Gown, and Connection
A laptop and a low-cost Internet connection opened the door of opportunity for a first-generation college graduate. It wasn’t just about getting online – it was about unlocking access to everything that comes with it. When that door closes for millions, the consequences ripple far beyond a single household. It impacts who gets educational and work opportunities, and the ability to meaningfully participate in modern life.
Illinois Takes Major Steps To Improve Broadband Affordability, Cooperative Expansion
The Illinois Legislature has taken several major legal steps to not only improve broadband affordability in The Prairie State, but empower local cooperatives to expand affordable, reliable fiber access to state residents. Illinois State Sen. Rachel Ventura (D-Joliet) recently introduced Senate Bill 3612, which would amend the state’s Utilities Act to require that large private telecoms in the state provide affordable, fast broadband access to low-income state residents.
Farewell - Episode 125 of the Connect This! Show
After five and a half years and 124 shows, we’re saying goodbye to Connect This!, where we've spent time with you, our wonderful audience, talking about building and managing networks, competition in the marketplace, creating clear and effective marketing campaigns, state and federal infrastructure grant programs, dark money campaigns, local broadband champions, affordability, digital skills, and more. Keep in touch with us via Unbuffered, our new show.
California Activates Nation’s Largest Middle-Mile Network, Connecting Tribal, Rural Areas
On Thursday, the California Department of Technology (CDT) announced that after five years of planning, building, and promising access, the state’s $3.2 billion Middle-Mile Broadband Initiative (MMBI) is now operational. The high-speed network connected the last mile to the state’s first customer, the Bishop Paiute Tribe, a Native American community in Inyo County.
Pennsylvania’s Claverack Cooperative Passes 100 Mile Fiber Milestone
Pennsylvania’s Claverack Rural Electric Cooperative (REC) says it’s making steady inroads in expanding affordable fiber access throughout rural Bradford and Wyoming Counties. The cooperative recently passed a notable milestone: the cooperative just wrapped up a project that delivered 100 miles of new fiber-optic cable to pass roughly 1,300 previously-unserved and underserved homes and businesses in rural Bradford and Wyoming counties for the first time ever.
BEAD ‘Non-Deployment’ Fund Guidance A No Show, Creating More Delays
The Trump administration continues to give muddled guidance in terms of the whopping $21 billion in “non-deployment” funds states should have at their disposal from the “savings” created by unwelcome changes to the federal BEAD program. As part of that retooling, the Trump administration demanded that states prioritize the cheapest – but not necessarily the best, most future proof, or reliable – broadband options, a direct nod to lobbying pressure from Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite providers like Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Starlink, and Jeff Bezos’ Leo (previously project Kuiper).
Lenoir City Public Utility Makes Speedy Progress On Tennessee Fiber Build
Lenoir City, Tennessee officials say they’re making steady progress on their goal to deliver affordable fiber well beyond the Southern city of 12,998. Under the collaborative umbrella of the Lenoir City Utilities Board (LCUB) and Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), officials say they’re leveraging century-old experience in rural electrification to help bridge the digital divide across Knox and Loudon counties.
Court Asked to Pause Digital Equity Act-Related Lawsuit, Pending Key Court Decision
The National Digital Inclusion Alliance has been fighting to restore a $2.75 billion federal digital equity program, but the lawsuit over the Trump administration’s suspension of grants may come to a pause. The National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA) filed a motion to put its lawsuit suing President Donald Trump on hold, because there is a similar case further along that would control the outcome.
Municipal Broadband Leaves Big National ISPs in the Dust, Report Finds
A new speed analysis published by Ookla finds that municipal broadband providers consistently leave their private Internet service provider (ISP) competition in the dust. “Small Towns, Big Speeds: How Some Municipal Broadband Providers Outperform Their ISP Peers” examined speed test data that included some of the largest municipal networks in the U.S. from December 2024 through December 2025 and compared their performance to each other and to their privately-owned ISP competitors.
On Tax Day, Advocates Spotlight How Local Tax Dollars Can Close the Digital Divide and Hold AI Data Centers Accountable
As Americans file their taxes this Tax Day, digital equity leaders across the nation will gather for a timely exploration of how public dollars are being used to strengthen communities – and how local advocates can negotiate better deals as AI data centers rapidly expand. Co-hosted by the Institute for Local Self-Reliance Community Broadband Networks Initiative and the National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA), the next Building for Digital Equity livestream – “Local Dollars, Local Solutions: Digital Equity Tax Money & How to Negotiate Better AI Data Center Deals” – promises to offer insights from frontline forces working to ensure broadband and technology investments serve public needs rather than distant corporate interests.