News

Connect Humanity Project Aims To Bring Broadband To Rural Appalachia

on Apr 3, 2023

Connect Humanity and the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) have struck a new $7.9 million coalition partnership they say will help deliver affordable, next-generation broadband networks to more than 50 communities across 12 Appalachian states. ARC has already been awarded $6.3 million via its new Appalachian Regional Initiative for Stronger Economies (ARISE) program, which aims to solve the connectivity crisis in a region that lags well behind the national average.

Realizing Ambitions of Open Access in Marin County, California

By on Mar 30, 2023

Digital Marin, currently housed within the Marin County Information Services and Technology Department, is coordinating a fiber project and leaning towards a municipally-owned, open-access solution modeled after Ammon’s standout network in Idaho.

Syracuse, NY Votes to Provide Low Cost Fixed Wireless Broadband to Low Income Households

Moses DeWitt House, low income apartment building in Syracuse

Karl Bode

on Mar 28, 2023

City officials in Syracuse, New York have formally approved a new project to provide heavily discounted wireless broadband to low-income city residents.

Building for Digital Equity Podcast Episode 3: Mikhail Sundust Offers Digital Equity Lessons from Gila River Indian Community

Christopher Mitchell

on Mar 27, 2023

In our third episode on the Building for Digital Equity podcast, we are joined by Mikhail Sundust, Executive Director of the Digital Connect Initiative (DCI) at GRTI - Gila River Telecommunications Incorporated.

Florida Designates $144 Million in ARPA Funds for 58 Broadband Projects

Karl Bode

on Mar 23, 2023

Florida’s state broadband office is doling out $144 million in grants to 58 different broadband expansion projects across 41 Florida counties.

New Bill Could Make Colorado Friendly State for Municipal Broadband

Sean Gonsalves

on Mar 21, 2023

Earlier this month, a new Colorado bill was introduced that, if passed, would rid the state of a law designed to protect monopoly Internet service providers (ISPs) from competition.

Gina Birch Loves Digital Equity at the Ashbury Center in Cleveland

Sean Gonsalves

on Mar 17, 2023

In the second episode of our new Building for Digital Equity podcast, Gina Birch talks about how she trained digital navigators at the Ashbury Senior Computer Community Center in Cleveland to help enroll eligible households into the Affordable Connectivity Program, and why working with trusted messengers and organizations is key

Nationwide Push to Address ACP Anemia

Sean Gonsalves

on Mar 15, 2023

The White House, in coordination with the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) and the U.S. Commerce Department, has kicked off a major push to get more of the estimated 52 million eligible households across the nation to take advantage of the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP).

Lewis County Pushes Forward with Open Access Fiber Plan

Karl Bode

on Mar 13, 2023

Lewis County, Washington and the Lewis County Public Utility District (PUD) are making progress with their plan to deploy an open access fiber network that should dramatically boost broadband competition—and lower prices—county wide by 2026.

Summit County, Ohio Building $75 Million, 125-Mile Fiber Ring

Karl Bode

on Mar 10, 2023

Summit County, Ohio says it’s making progress on a $75 million, 125-mile fiber-optic ring made possible courtesy of American Recovery Plan Act (ARPA) funds.

Our New Building for Digital Equity Podcast Debuts Today

Sean Gonsalves

on Mar 9, 2023

Our new podcast series – Building for Digital Equity – debuts today with an insightful conversation with Margaret “Meg” Kaufer, President of the STEM Alliance in Westchester County, New York.

NYC Co-op Told To Pull Free Service From Affordable Housing After City’s Reversal On Open Access Fiber

Karl Bode

on Mar 7, 2023

New York City has scrapped its plan to build a promising open access fiber network. Not only did that stark reversal leave many partner ISPs high and dry after years of planning, some local community-run ISPs now say the city is forcing them to remove existing free service to affordable housing developments.

IN OUR VIEW: City Cast Provides Good Lessons for Covering Broadband

Christopher Mitchell

on Mar 6, 2023

City Cast Las Vegas recently aired back-to-back podcast episodes about Internet access in the region, "Why Does Our Internet Suck?" followed by "Who Can Fix Our Internet?" As an organization that both produces stories like that as well as stars on them, as our own Sean Gonsalves did in the first

NDIA Hosts Largest Ever Net Inclusion Gathering

Sean Gonsalves

on Mar 2, 2023

Digital equity advocates rode into San Antonio, Texas for Net Inclusion 2023 to kick-off the largest gathering of the annual conference to date.

Our Affordable Connectivity Program Dashboard is Back and Better Than Ever

Ry Marcattilio

on Feb 28, 2023

Last August, we launched the first version of our Affordable Connectivity Program dashboard. Now, two versions later, we're back with a 2.0 version of the dashboard. It still tracks everything it did before, but adds a mobile version, a Congressional District Map, and a more nuanced, complete predictive model to calculate how long the fund will last.

Watch Net Inclusion 2023 Live with Us

Ry Marcattilio

on Feb 24, 2023

Net Inclusion 2023 begins tomorrow in sunny San Antonio, Texas. Join us to watch panels and breakout sessions planned for the all the diverse challenges and opportunities that make up the arena of digital equity and inclusion today, from skills training, to device access, to cost, to use in higher education, medicine, and aging in place.

A Very Special Connect This! Show | Episode 65 of the Connect This! Show

Ry Marcattilio

on Feb 24, 2023

Join us on Wednesday, March 1st at 7:30pm ET for a very special episode of the show, live from Net Inclusion 2023 in San Antonio, Texas. Christopher Mitchell (ILSR) will be joined by Kim McKinley (UTOPIA Fiber), Angela Siefer (National Digital Inclusion Alliance), Autumn Evans (City of Detroit), and ILSR's DeAnne Cuellar, and in front of a live audience at The Friendly Spot Icehouse.

Making Waves in Baltimore with Community-Driven Connectivity

Project Waves Director of Engineering Devin Weaver

Sean Gonsalves

on Feb 23, 2023

Profile on the people behind Project Waves, a non-profit organization founded in 2018 to bring broadband to mostly low-income households in Baltimore City.

$63 Million in USDA ReConnect Funds Head to Rural Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota and Mississippi

By on Feb 22, 2023

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently announced it has awarded $63 million through its ReConnect Program to expand access to high-speed Internet service in rural parts of Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota and Mississippi.

Open Access Conduit in West Des Moines, Iowa Brings Google Fiber, Choice to City Residents

Karl Bode

on Feb 21, 2023

West Des Moines, Iowa is making steady progress on a $60 million open access fiber-optic conduit system to expedite the delivery of affordable fiber citywide. And they’re doing it with the help of Google Fiber, which has slowly started to reverse course after the company’s 2016 decision to lay off hundreds of staff and freeze most meaningful expansion.