Benton Institute for Broadband & Society - Individuals who primarily Reside in a Rural Area

https://www.benton.org/digital-divide-diaries/culture-shock

"A Very Rude Culture Shock"

benton — Mon, 24 Apr 2023 11:31:54 +0000

Barbara Drӧher Kline thought she knew what she was getting into when she moved halfway across the country and bought a 1890s farmhouse in rural Le Sueur county, Minnesota. Contractors advised her to tear the house down, but she loved a fixer-upper, especially after she had refined her remodeling skills on her previous home in California, a redwood log cabin near San Francisco. Drӧher Kline wasn’t scared by a rural lifestyle either. Both she and her husband, John Kline, had roots in the state, and he had grown up nearby. The plot twist was something even HGTV had not prepared her for: slow internet. The internet service provider for her new home, Frontier Communications, offered outdated technology with frequent outages and notoriously poor customer service. Over the next two years, from 2016 to 2018, she would jump between various internet companies, trying to secure the high-speed connections she needed to work remotely. The experience even inspired her to run for state office.

Benton Content:

Benton Original Content

Teaser:

How one homebuyer found herself working remotely, without internet.

Source:

Benton Institute for Broadband & Society

Author:

Adam Echelman

Send date:

Mon, 04/24/2023

Daily Digest:

Daily Digest 4/21/2023

DD Publish Status:

Not Available

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Publish Date:

Mon, 04/24/2023

Coverage Type:

https://www.usda.gov/media/press-releases/2024/04/24/biden-harris-administration…

Biden-Harris Administration Partners with Local Organizations, Cooperatives and Tribes to Support High-Speed Internet Deployment in Rural Communities as Part of Investing in America Agenda

benton — Wed, 24 Apr 2024 17:37:46 +0000

The Department of Agriculture (USDA) is partnering with rural cooperatives, local organizations and Tribes to support high-speed internet deployment in 11 states. USDA is awarding $5.2 million in cooperative agreements through the Broadband Technical Assistance Program, which is funded through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. This funding will extend the reach of other high-speed internet programs to meet the Administration’s goal to connect every community in America with affordable, reliable, high-speed internet. The Broadband Technical Assistance Program provides funding to cooperatives and organizations interested in receiving or delivering broadband technical assistance and training. This program promotes the expansion of high-speed internet into rural and Tribal communities by funding feasibility studies, network designs, hiring efforts, application development assistance and more. The funding will help people living in Alaska, Alabama, Florida, Idaho, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas and West Virginia. Examples of projects in this announcement include:

In the Southwest, Ciomperlik Enterprises LLC is receiving a $126,570 award to prepare reports, feasibility studies, financial forecasts, market surveys, environmental studies and technical design to expand high-speed internet access in 10 communities across Duval, Frio, Jim Hogg, La Salle and Zavala counties in Texas.
In the Midwest, the Curators of the University of Missouri is receiving a $191,038 award to support community planning, a broadband economic analysis study, an environmental study and a technical design study in Carter and Shannon counties in Missouri.
In the Pacific Northwest, the Connecting Alaska Consortium is receiving a $1 million award to deliver technical assistance and training to support planning and engagement, coordinating partnerships, grant-related training, and data collection and reporting. Funding will also support technical assistance and training conferences. The project will be used to promote and expand high-speed internet access in 122 rural and Tribal communities across Alaska.
In the South, the South Central Alabama Broadband Cooperative District is receiving a $820,000 award to perform community needs assessments and project planning, provide grant assistance, support construction planning and engineering and provide federal resource management and oversight in 45 communities across 15 counties in South Central Alabama.

A full list of projects from today’s announcement is available online.

Benton Content:

Teaser:

USDA is awarding $5.2 million in cooperative agreements through the Broadband Technical Assistance Program

Source:

Department of Agriculture

Send date:

Thu, 04/25/2024

Daily Digest:

Daily Digest 4/24/2024

DD Publish Status:

Not Available

Include summary in newsletter email:

Publish Date:

Wed, 04/24/2024

Coverage Type:

Press Release

Digital Equity/Digital Inclusion

Digital Divide

Federal Agency

Rural Development (USDA )

Internet/Broadband

Universal Broadband

Legislation

Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act

Level of Government

Federal

https://potsandpansbyccg.com/2024/04/24/rural-broadband-is-expensive-today/

Rural Broadband Is Expensive Today

Grace Tepper — Wed, 24 Apr 2024 15:39:13 +0000

One of the trends that is a concern for internet service providers (ISPs) is plans by State Broadband Offices to force Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) winners to charge low rates for broadband. One argument for lowering rates is that the government is paying a big portion of the cost of building the broadband networks, and it ought to be able to extract concessions from the ISPs for taking the grant funding. In most places, BEAD will be used for the most sparsely populated places, which in many instances also have the toughest topography and construction challenges. The other argument I’ve often heard is that ISPs can provide lower rates because ISPs make a lot of money and can afford it. This might be true for the large national ISPs that can average the revenues from BEAD areas across larger markets with higher margins. But rural ISPs can’t be shouldered with providing the low rates so that folks can afford broadband. ISPs can’t be forced to somehow fund the end of the Affordable Connectivity Program – particularly in rural areas. Anybody who has ever operated any business knows that operating with too-low rates is a road to eventual financial disaster.

Benton Content:

Teaser:

Rural ISPs can’t be shouldered with providing the low rates so that folks can afford broadband.

Source:

CCG Consulting

Author:

Doug Dawson

Send date:

Thu, 04/25/2024

Daily Digest:

Daily Digest 4/24/2024

DD Publish Status:

Not Available

Include summary in newsletter email:

Publish Date:

Wed, 04/24/2024

Coverage Type:

Analysis

Digital Divide

Federal Broadband Programs

Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program

Internet/Broadband

Infrastructure

Affordability/Cost/Price

Legislation

Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act

https://laist.com/news/california-broadband-affordability-plan-applications

California Is Spending Billions On ‘Broadband For All,’ But Critics Say It Will Not Lower Internet Prices

zwalker@benton.org — Tue, 23 Apr 2024 20:58:06 +0000

Californians spend an average of $84 per month to connect to the internet—and some of the most vulnerable groups, including older adults, veterans and people with disabilities, tend to pay even more. So the state is spending billions of dollars to make broadband more affordable and available under its Broadband for All plan. It’s creating a new public backbone network called the “middle-mile” across 10,000 miles of California, and offering funding for companies to build the "last mile," the final leg of the network that brings service to your home. The idea is that increased competition will force the large internet companies to drop their rates. But LAist has found that large internet providers are also applying for those billions of dollars of government funding, hoping to use it to expand their service territory into underserved areas. However, they largely do not plan to connect to the state’s public network. Instead, companies want to use their own already-built middle mile infrastructure, which gives them control over prices. Without that element of competition, some say internet bills would likely stay the same or even increase.

Benton Content:

Teaser:

California is spending billions of taxpayer dollars on a plan to make broadband more affordable and available—will it be enough?

Source:

LAist

Author:

Nereida Moreno

Send date:

Wed, 04/24/2024

Daily Digest:

DD Publish Status:

Not Available

Include summary in newsletter email:

Publish Date:

Tue, 04/23/2024

Coverage Type:

Individuals who are Members of a Racial or Ethnic Minority Group

Seniors/Aging Individuals

Low-income

Spectrum Begins Construction on Broadband Network Expansion in Pettis County, Missouri

zwalker@benton.org — Tue, 23 Apr 2024 20:39:31 +0000

Spectrum announced construction is underway on several fiber-optic network expansion projects that will bring gigabit broadband and other Spectrum services to more than 400 homes and small businesses in Pettis County, Missouri. The buildout is part of Spectrum’s approximately $5 billion investment in unserved rural areas, which includes $1.2 billion won in the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) auction. The company’s RDOF expansion will provide broadband access to approximately 1 million customer locations as estimated by the FCC across 24 states in the coming years. Spectrum services are expected to be available to residents and small business owners in the buildout areas in the months to come.

Benton Content:

https://corporate.charter.com/newsroom/spectrum-begins-construction-on-broadband…

Teaser:

Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) buildout will provide gigabit broadband and additional services

Source:

Charter Communications

Send date:

Wed, 04/24/2024

Daily Digest:

Federal Communications Commission

DD Publish Status:

Not Available

Include summary in newsletter email:

Publish Date:

Tue, 04/23/2024

Coverage Type:

Press Release

Federal Agency

Rural Digital Opportunity Fund

Universal Service Fund

Mapping and Spatial Analysis to Expand Rural Broadband Access

zwalker@benton.org — Tue, 23 Apr 2024 19:02:31 +0000

High-speed broadband internet access is a critically important issue for many aspects of daily life, yet populations in rural areas are often unserved or underserved with reliable internet connectivity. Expanding broadband internet coverage in rural areas may have significant economic potential, especially since it enables precision farming which in turn increases yields, particularly for row crops such as corn and soybeans. This paper introduces methods that utilize GIS spatial analysis and remote sensing to assist in efforts to expand rural broadband access using case study counties in Illinois. Specifically, the methods presented here: (1) quantify current cropland production as well as future potential production in currently unserved or underserved rural areas; and (2) automate mapping of vertical assets from Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) data that may be utilized as high points to expand broadband coverage. Collectively, these methodologies may be used for policy advocacy and to inform the decision-making process as future broadband expansion initiatives are considered in rural areas.

Benton Content:

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/23754931.2024.2332238

Teaser:

These methodologies may be used for policy advocacy and to inform the decision-making process as future broadband expansion initiatives are considered in rural areas

Source:

Papers in Applied Geography

Author:

John Kostelnick

Jonathan Thayn

Koushik Sinha

Send date:

Wed, 04/24/2024

Daily Digest:

DD Publish Status:

Not Available

Include summary in newsletter email:

Publish Date:

Tue, 04/23/2024

Coverage Type:

https://corporate.charter.com/newsroom/spectrum-launches-gigabit-broadband-in-ba…

Research

Headlines Specific Topic:

Benton Foundation

Spectrum Launches Gigabit Broadband, Mobile, TV and Voice Services in Barnwell County, South Carolina

zwalker@benton.org — Tue, 23 Apr 2024 18:40:09 +0000

Spectrum announced the launch of Spectrum Internet, Mobile, TV and Voice services to more than 1950 homes and small businesses in Barnwell County (SC). Spectrum’s newly constructed fiber-optic network buildout in Barnwell County is part of the company’s approximately $5 billion Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF)-related investment in unserved rural communities, partly offset by $1.2 billion in the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) RDOF auction. The company’s RDOF expansion will provide broadband access to 1.3 million customer locations across 24 states in the coming years. Spectrum has also won more than $700 million in state broadband expansion subsidies, which, combined with Spectrum investment, will connect another 300,000 homes and small businesses.

Benton Content:

Teaser:

Network buildout is part of Spectrum’s $5 billion, multiyear Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) investment in rural broadband

Source:

Charter Communications

Send date:

Wed, 04/24/2024

Daily Digest:

Federal Communications Commission

DD Publish Status:

Not Available

Include summary in newsletter email:

Publish Date:

Tue, 04/23/2024

Coverage Type:

Press Release

Federal Agency