Startland News的动态

The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) today has approved and recommended for award an application from Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity allowing the state to request access to more than $23 million to implement its Digital Equity Plan. This funding comes from the $1.44 billion State Digital Equity Capacity Grant Program. Illinois will use the $23,732,912 in funding to implement key digital equity initiatives, including: -Creating a dashboard to measure progress toward digital equity; and -Launching university partnerships and recruiting nonprofits and community-based organizations to serve as regional digital equity champions/conveners Congratulations to the Illinois Office of Broadband and Illinois Broadband Lab! #internetforall #digitalequity #digitalopportunity https://lnkd.in/gRbDRZVa

Read this article and more written by myself written for #BroadbandBreakfast here:

The State of New Hampshire, where I live, received $196M in BEAD (Broadband, Equity, Access and Deployment) funding from the NTIA to improve broadband services. Two things about the funding award are interesting. One is that the current Governor signed into law in 2018 a bill that permitted cities and towns to form public-private partnerships to improve broadband access in unserved areas. Many towns in the southwestern Monadnock Region used the law to partner with Consolidated Communications to build fiber-optic networks that pass every street address. Before this, New Hampshire did not spend one dime to fund broadband, but now, it permits towns to bond to build broadband with a private partner. Over 20 towns approved their bonds and built last-mile fiber-optic networks, which they now own. Now, the State of New Hampshire has a large amount of federal funding to provide the remaining underserved and unserved parts of the state with good broadband service. Again, no state money is involved. The public-private partnerships were quick and efficient in getting what was needed. The BEAD funding is finally taking years to arrive. I am glad that the town I live in, Rindge, was one of the towns that put some skin in the game and got what it needed in 2020. I am also glad the state can now complete the job required to improve broadband in other towns throughout the state. https://lnkd.in/e25TzMFh #NH #NTIA #BEAD #broadbandfunding #publicprivatepartnership

#Update on the $42.5B #BroadbandEquityAndAccessDeploymentFund (#BEAD). #NTIA has now approved 19 states'* plus DC's, Northern Mariana Islands', Puerto Rico's, and US Virgin Island's #initialproposals. Progress is underway, but the administration of BEAD is cumbersome, hindering the swift transition from planning to the actual #construction, #deployment, and #activation of #InternetForAll services in #unserved and #underserved areas. States submitted their intention to participate in the #BEADprogram on July 18, 2022, yet after two years, no deployment projects to unserved or underserved areas have received BEAD funding. There was bipartisan agreement on broadband deployment to unserved and underserved areas - including and especially rural areas. Time is ticking. We can do better. *The 19 states include: CO, CT, DE, HI, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, ME, MD, NV, NH, OR, PA, RI, UT, WA, and WV. #BroadbandUSA #InternetForAll #BroadbandDrivesEconomicDevelopmentAndQualityOfLife https://lnkd.in/d3cZd7Xn

It’s great to see Virginia take a significant leap toward #digitalequity with $10.5 million in funding from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) through the Digital Equity Competitive Grant Program. Made possible by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, this funding will support the Department of Education’s efforts to empower #DigitalNavigators—trained individuals who help Virginians access the Internet, secure devices, and build essential #digitalskills. High-speed Internet and digital training opens doors to education, job opportunities, and so many more vital services. By helping more people across the Commonwealth get online, we’re one step closer to making #connectivityforall a reality. Kudos to federal and state leaders, for advancing these important efforts. Read more here via CBS19 News: https://lnkd.in/eNUAbX-d

Hey Washington State of our Bright Future, get on the bus, we’re headed to a parking lot across town to do homework on our phones. Word is Washington state will only get roughly $15.9M this year *corrected duration* to build Digital Equity capacity. That’s less than expected. To coordinate better, Pennsylvania is setting aside 3% of IIJA and IRA funding for a total of $400M to embed Digital Equity programs into workforce development. We need our governor to do a similar executive order so we can successfully do our broadband infrastructure build - while we also strengthen worker pathways for energy, transportation, maritime, health, and food production.

Texas shows complexity of broadband projects Texas communities must contend with regulatory hurdles, inaccurate maps and unprepared local governments when allocating billions of dollars in broadband funding, demonstrating the potential complexity of bridging the digital divide. The incoming administration will also reexamine the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment Program, likely further delaying distribution, and communities are preparing for map challenges that start today.

Prospective BEAD applicants: Review Illinois' Initial Proposal Volume II to learn about how we'll approach the sub-grantee selection process, and sign up to stay in the know at bit.ly/IOBPartner.

Of concern for Higher Education in Prison advocates in states where these funds hold a key to implementing much needed, modern technology for incarcerated learners.

National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) earlier this month approved Kentucky's plan to utilize some $1.1 billion to expand broadband throughout the state via the federal Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment Program. Liam Niemeyer reports for the Kentucky Lantern. ? "The next steps to roll out Kentucky’s funding include a process for ensuring the accuracy of the state’s broadband access maps. Meghan Sandfoss, AICP, the executive director of the Kentucky Office of Broadband Development, said her office has received more than 400,000 challenges to the maps from internet providers, nonprofits and local governments, and the challenge process should finish by July.? Accurate maps will better identify underserved and unserved parts of the state and make sure broadband expansion isn’t duplicative, Sandfoss said." #broadbandinternet #broadband #connectivity #criticalinfrastructure #construction #kentucky #fiberbroadband #BroadbandForAll Commonwealth of Kentucky #ruralbroadband #internetaccess #HighSpeedInternet #DigitalEquity #DigitalInclusion #PCCA https://lnkd.in/eC9TuWyQ