Benton Institute for Broadband & Society - State

https://www.benton.org/blog/visions-digital-equity-principles

Author:

Kevin Taglang

Grace Tepper

Send date:

Tue, 09/12/2023

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Daily Digest 9/11/2023

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Tue, 09/12/2023

Coverage Type:

Analysis

Visions of Digital Equity Principles

benton — Tue, 01 Aug 2023 11:34:35 +0000

Digital equity—or, digital opportunity, if you prefer—is having a moment. The US is making an unprecedented investment to ensure that individuals and communities have the capacity to fully participate in our society and economy. This is a huge undertaking with momentous implications on the future of the Nation. Each state has been asked to envision how life there can be transformed by achieving digital equity. As part of their digital equity plans, states have the opportunity to illustrate how ubiquitous, affordable connectivity to reliable, high-speed broadband will benefit communities through increased access to health care, education and job training, economic growth, and civic participation. With this extraordinary opportunity before state policymakers and local communities in mind, the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society launched the Visions of Digital Equity project to aid both in ensuring that more community voices are heard in crafting visions that increase opportunity for all. Through surveys, community meetings, interviews, conversations, and a collaborative writing process with community contributors, we have arrived at a set of principles to help guide both the process and the resulting visions of digital equity. We hope these principles help the residents in each state evaluate their digital equity plans.

Benton Content:

Benton Original Content

https://www.benton.org/publications/visions-digital-equity

Teaser:

We’re asking states to articulate what success looks like when we achieve digital opportunity for all.

Source:

https://internetforall.gov/news-media/biden-harris-administration-announces-stat…

Author:

Adrianne Furniss

Send date:

Tue, 08/01/2023

Daily Digest:

Daily Digest 7/31/2023

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Tue, 08/01/2023

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Editorial

NTIA Announces State Allocations for $42.45 Billion BEAD Program

benton — Mon, 26 Jun 2023 15:47:05 +0000

The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has allocated funding to all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and five territories to deploy affordable, reliable high-speed Internet service to everyone in America. States, Washington (DC), and territories will use funding from the $42.45 billion Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to administer grant programs within their borders. The BEAD funding will be used to deploy or upgrade broadband networks to ensure that everyone has access to reliable, affordable, high-speed Internet service. Once deployment goals are met, any remaining funding can be used to pursue eligible access-, adoption-, and equity-related uses. States, DC, and territories (“Eligible Entities”) will receive their formal notice of allocation on June 30, 2023. Under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, Eligible Entities have 180 days from the date of that formal notice to submit their Initial Proposals describing how they propose to run their grant programs. Eligible Entities can begin submitting their Initial Proposals starting July 1, 2023. Once NTIA approves an Initial Proposal, which will occur on a rolling basis, Eligible Entities will be permitted to request access to at least 20 percent of their allocated funds.

State	Allocation Amount
Alabama	$1,401,221,901.77
Alaska	$1,017,139,672.42
Arizona	$993,112,231.37
Arkansas	$1,024,303,993.86
California	$1,864,136,508.93
Colorado	$826,522,650.41
Connecticut	$144,180,792.71
Delaware	$107,748,384.66
District of Columbia	$100,694,786.93
Florida	$1,169,947,392.70
Georgia	$1,307,214,371.30
Hawaii	$149,484,493.57
Idaho	$583,256,249.88
Illinois	$1,040,420,751.50
Indiana	$868,109,929.79
Iowa	$415,331,313.00
Kansas	$451,725,998.15
Kentucky	$1,086,172,536.86
Louisiana	$1,355,554,552.94
Maine	$271,977,723.07
Maryland	$267,738,400.71
Massachusetts	$147,422,464.39
Michigan	$1,559,362,479.29
Minnesota	$651,839,368.20
Mississippi	$1,203,561,563.05
Missouri	$1,736,302,708.39
Montana	$628,973,798.59
Nebraska	$405,281,070.41
Nevada	$416,666,229.74
New Hampshire	$196,560,278.97
New Jersey	$263,689,548.65
New Mexico	$675,372,311.86
New York	$664,618,251.49
North Carolina	$1,532,999,481.15
North Dakota	$130,162,815.12
Ohio	$793,688,107.63
Oklahoma	$797,435,691.25
Oregon	$688,914,932.17
Pennsylvania	$1,161,778,272.41
Rhode Island	$108,718,820.75
South Carolina	$551,535,983.05
South Dakota	$207,227,523.92
Tennessee	$813,319,680.22
Texas	$3,312,616,455.45
Utah	$317,399,741.54
Vermont	$228,913,019.08
Virginia	$1,481,489,572.87
Washington	$1,227,742,066.30
West Virginia	$1,210,800,969.85
Wisconsin	$1,055,823,573.71
Wyoming	$347,877,921.27
American Samoa	$37,564,827.53
Guam	$156,831,733.59
Northern Mariana Islands	$80,796,709.02
Puerto Rico	$334,614,151.70
U.S. Virgin Islands	$27,103,240.86

Benton Content:

Teaser:

Biden-Harris Administration Announces State Allocations for $42.45 Billion High-Speed Internet Grant Program as Part of Investing in America Agenda

Source:

National Telecommunications and Information Administration

Send date:

Tue, 06/27/2023

Daily Digest:

Daily Digest 6/26/2023

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Publish Date:

Mon, 06/26/2023

Coverage Type:

Digital Divide

National Telecommunications and Information Administration

Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program

Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act

https://www.benton.org/visions-digital-equity/community-contributor-essays/what-…

What Digital Equity Means for Rural Alaska

benton — Mon, 05 Jun 2023 11:29:05 +0000

Dleł Taaneets is the traditional name of my hometown of Rampart; it means “the hanging moose hide,” which the bluffs near our village mimic in color. My ancestors survived on these lands by following the lifeways of the season: spruce tips and birds in spring, salmon and plants in the summer, berries and moose in winter, trapping in the winter. Living off the lands of Alaska is unforgiving due to extreme weather, but my lineage endured and thrived by maintaining respect for one another, having gratitude to the animals and plants, and honoring the gorgeous lands that sustained them. Time moves differently in Alaska as we slowly assimilate into modern times. I don’t know when Rampart was first connected to the internet, but access wasn’t available for individual families like mine until I was an upperclassman in high school. To access the internet, my cousins and I would go to sit outside the Tribal office after hours during the midnight sun season, surrounded by mosquitos—a practice still done to this day. At the beginning of 2021, I left the oppressive service industry and promised myself to apply only to jobs that would begin my career in serving community. After months of pursuing jobs with no success, my eena (mother) forwarded me an email with an application to be the Broadband Specialist for the Native Movement and Alaska Public Interest Research Group (AKPIRG).

[ Brittany Woods-Orrison is a Koyukon Dené woman from Dleł Taaneets, an Alaskan village along the Yukon River. She grew up on her ancestral homelands learning how to harvest traditional foods and being taught her culture. Brittany traveled around the Western United States learning about the lands, the waters, and the Indigenous stewards for a couple of years before returning home to Alaska to be the broadband specialist for Alaska Public Interest Research Group and Native Movement. Brittany now works on digital equity, cultural revitalization, food sovereignty, reconnecting to the land, and deep community building.]

Benton Content:

Benton Original Content

Teaser:

"The internet is a tool I never had when my family needed it, and I work for every Alaskan, young and old, to have safe, affordable, equitable access to the internet so that they can use it in ways that will allow them to thrive."

Source:

Digital Equity/Digital Inclusion

Author:

Brittany Woods-Orrison

Send date:

Mon, 06/05/2023

Daily Digest:

Daily Digest 6/2/2023

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Mon, 06/05/2023

Coverage Type:

Op-Ed

Marginalized Populations

Individuals who primarily Reside in a Rural Area

Biden-Harris Administration Announces Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri and Utah to Receive Nearly $1 Billion in American Rescue Plan Funds to Increase Access to Affordable, High-Speed Internet

benton — Thu, 01 Dec 2022 15:36:49 +0000

The Department of Treasury approved broadband projects in an additional six states under the American Rescue Plan’s Capital Projects Fund Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri and Utah. Together, these states will use their funding to connect more than 180,000 homes and businesses to affordable, high-speed internet. A key priority of the Capital Projects Fund program is to make funding available for reliable, affordable broadband infrastructure.

Florida is approved for $248 million for broadband infrastructure, which the state estimates will connect 48,400 households and businesses – representing approximately 10% of locations still lacking high-speed internet access. Florida’s award will fund Florida’s Broadband Infrastructure Program (BIP), a competitive grant program designed to expand last mile broadband access to homes and businesses in rural areas of the state. Funding from CPF will help Florida continue to prioritize fiber-optic networks and projects proposing affordable service. The plan submitted to Treasury and being approved today represents 68% of the state’s total allocation under the CPF program. Florida submitted plans for the remainder of their CPF funds and these applications are currently under review by Treasury.
Georgia is approved to receive $250 million for broadband infrastructure, which the state estimates will connect 70,000 households and businesses – representing 15% of locations still lacking high-speed internet access. Georgia’s award will fund the Georgia Capital Projects Fund grant program, a competitive grant program that is designed to fund broadband infrastructure projects that provide service to areas identified by the state to currently lack access to reliable broadband that can meet or exceed 25/3 Mbps, and that adopt practices that support both efficient broadband expansion and community engagement. The plan submitted to Treasury and being approved today represents 96% of the state’s total allocation under the CPF program. Georgia submitted plans for the remainder of their CPF funds and these applications are currently under review by Treasury.
Iowa is approved for $152.2 million for broadband infrastructure, which the state estimates will connect 18,972 households and businesses – representing approximately 16% of locations still lacking high-speed internet access. Iowa’s award will fund the Empower Rural Iowa Broadband Program, a competitive grant program designed to address inequities in access to broadband throughout the state of Iowa. Using a three-step process, the program combines mapping data, input from communities, and applications from service providers. Funding from CPF will help Iowa bring broadband service to areas identified having a critical need for broadband. The plan submitted to Treasury and being approved today represents 100% of the state’s total allocation under the CPF program.
Minnesota is approved for $44 million for broadband infrastructure. Minnesota’s award will fund two additional broadband infrastructure programs: Minnesota’s Line Extension Program, a competitive grant program designed to address the needs of individuals who are located near infrastructure for high-quality broadband service but where the cost of the last mile connection is a barrier; and the Low-Density Pilot Program, a competitive grant program that provides financial resources for new and existing providers to invest in building broadband infrastructure in low-density areas of the state that currently lack high-speed internet. Funding from CPF will help Minnesota continue its efforts to provide reliable internet access to predominately rural locations previously facing cost barriers. In total, Minnesota is using $127 million –70% of their CPF funding –for broadband infrastructure to reach an estimated ~32,000 locations, or ~12% of locations still lacking high-speed internet access in the state. Minnesota submitted plans for the remainder of their CPF funds and these applications are currently under review by Treasury.
Missouri is approved for $196.7 million for broadband infrastructure, which the state estimates will connect 37,979 households and businesses – representing approximately 8% of locations still lacking high-speed internet access. Missouri’s award will fund the Missouri Broadband Infrastructure Grant Program, a competitive grant program designed to fund broadband infrastructure projects in areas that currently lack access to high-speed, reliable broadband. Funding from CPF will help Missouri bring service to areas where broadband infrastructure projects would not be feasible without assistance. The plan submitted to Treasury and being approved today represents 100% of the state’s total allocation under the CPF program.
Utah is approved for $10 million for broadband infrastructure, which the state estimates will connect 3,080 households and businesses – representing approximately 5% of locations still lacking high-speed internet access. Utah’s award will fund the Broadband Infrastructure Gap Networks Grant Program (Gap Networks Grant Program), a competitive grant program designed to address gaps in broadband infrastructure where reliable broadband service is currently unavailable. Funding from CPF will help Utah continue its efforts to bridge the state’s remaining digital divide. The plan submitted to Treasury and being approved today represents 7% of the state’s total allocation under the CPF program. Utah submitted plans for the remainder of their CPF funds and these plans are currently under review by Treasury.

Benton Content:

https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/jy1132

Teaser:

Together, these states will use their funding to connect more than 180,000 homes and businesses

Source:

Department of the Treasury

Send date:

Fri, 12/02/2022

Daily Digest:

Daily Digest 12/1/2022

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Thu, 12/01/2022

Coverage Type:

Department of Treasury

American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA)

Capital Projects Fund

https://www.benton.org/blog/broadband-mapping-and-communities

Broadband Mapping By and For Communities

benton — Fri, 30 Sep 2022 16:15:25 +0000

On Monday, September 26, Benton Institute for Broadband & Society Director of Research and Fellowships Dr. Revati Prasad hosted an online panel discussion, From the Ground Up: Broadband Mapping By and for Communities, on how communities and states are collecting data on local broadband availability as the Federal Communications Commission rolls out the Broadband Data Collection (BDC) program. The panel was moderated by Dustin Loup, the Program Manager at the National Broadband Mapping Coalition, the event's co-sponsor. He framed the discussion by highlighting that inaccurate broadband deployment data has not only overestimated the percentage of U.S. households with access to broadband, it has also prevented some communities from being eligible for federal and/or state programs that subsidize broadband network buildout. Read what the panel had to say at the link below.

Benton Content:

Benton Original Content

Teaser:

Recapping From the Ground Up: Broadband Mapping By and For Communities

Source:

https://www.azcommerce.com/news-events/news/2024/4/effort-to-expand-broadband-in…

Author:

Kevin Taglang

Send date:

Mon, 10/03/2022

Daily Digest:

Daily Digest 9/30/2022

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Fri, 09/30/2022

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Reporting

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Benton Foundation

Public-private partnership in Arizona to manage, maintain and lease fiber-optic conduit along highways

benton — Thu, 25 Apr 2024 21:57:10 +0000

Arizona's goal of expanding broadband internet access in rural areas is taking a step forward with a public-private partnership. The agreement with eX² Technology is to operate, maintain and lease space in fiber-optic conduit installed along Interstate 17 and Interstate 19, and being installed later in 2024 along much of Interstate 40. The Arizona Department of Transportation—in partnership with Governor Katie Hobbs and the Arizona Commerce Authority—entered into the agreement recently with eX² Technology, an Omaha, Nebraska, firm with extensive experience working with state and local governments to manage what is often referred to as middle-mile fiber-optic infrastructure. The partnership complements a state law that allows private broadband providers to install, operate, and maintain telecommunications equipment within ADOT’s right of way using conduit installed along state highways. ADOT plans to use the fiber-optic conduit to provide intelligent transportation systems technology, such as overhead message boards, traffic cameras, weather stations, and wrong-way driving detection. The infrastructure also will help lay the groundwork for emerging technologies like connected and automated vehicles. The initial scope for this 25-year agreement includes fiber-optic conduit along I-17 from Phoenix to Flagstaff, I-19 from Tucson to Nogales, and conduit to be installed on Interstate 40 from Flagstaff to California. It will be available for lease by internet service providers looking to expand broadband internet access.

Benton Content:

Teaser:

New state law allows private broadband providers to install, operate, and maintain telecommunications equipment within Department of Transportation’s right of way

Source:

Arizona Commerce Authority

Send date:

Fri, 04/26/2024

Daily Digest:

https://www.ntia.gov/press-release/2024/biden-harris-administration-approves-kan…

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Thu, 04/25/2024

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Biden-Harris Administration Approves Kansas, Nevada, and West Virginia’s “Internet for All” Initial Proposal

zwalker@benton.org — Thu, 25 Apr 2024 21:28:17 +0000

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has approved Kansas, Nevada and West Virginia’s Initial Proposals for the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program, a cornerstone of the Biden-Harris Administration’s “Internet for All” initiative. Kansas, Nevada and West Virginia are among the first states to reach this important milestone, which will enable them to request access to funding and begin implementation of the BEAD program—a major step towards closing the digital divide and meeting the President’s goal of connecting everyone in America with affordable, reliable, high-speed Internet service. Today’s action makes available $451.7 million for Kansas, $416.6 million for Nevada, and $1.2 billion for West Virginia.

Benton Content:

Teaser:

The NTIA has approved Kansas, Nevada and West Virginia’s Initial Proposals for the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program

Source:

National Telecommunications and Information Administration

Send date:

Fri, 04/26/2024

Daily Digest:

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Not Available

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Publish Date:

Thu, 04/25/2024

Coverage Type:

Digital Equity/Digital Inclusion

Digital Divide

National Telecommunications and Information Administration

Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program

Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act

https://fiberbroadband.org/2024/04/25/fiber-electrifies-alabama-broadband-plans/

Fiber Electrifies Alabama Broadband Plans

zwalker@benton.org — Thu, 25 Apr 2024 20:21:41 +0000

As energy companies around the country deploy fiber to improve grid reliability, they open the door to enabling broadband connectivity to previously unserved rural communities. Alabama Power has invested over $1 billion in infrastructure upgrades to add over 1,600 miles of fiber within its service areas since 2017. It now connects over 1,000 devices on its electric distribution system, allowing for real-time monitoring and grid reconfiguration. Alabama Power’s fiber and state regulatory changes have enabled the utility to partner with the state’s electric co-ops and internet companies to deploy fiber by providing middle mile fiber to reach rural areas. They leverage Alabama Power’s existing fiber assets to reduce cost and enable others to open and expand last-mile access for unserved communities. Alabama’s partnership with these electric co-ops delivers over 3,000 miles of middle-mile fiber to 67 counties in the state, together as the Alabama Fiber Network. Alabama has been allocated $1.4 billion in National Telecommunications and Information Administration Broadband, Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) funding for broadband infrastructure and Alabama Power stands ready to provide dark fiber to ISPs interested in applying for BEAD and other broadband projects.

Benton Content:

Teaser:

Electric utilities in Alabama are working together to close the digital divide

Source:

Fiber Broadband Association

Author:

Autumn Minnich

Send date:

Fri, 04/26/2024

Daily Digest:

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Not Available

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Publish Date:

Thu, 04/25/2024

Coverage Type:

National Telecommunications and Information Administration

Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program

Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act

https://ctmirror.org/2024/04/22/ct-acp-program-affordable-connectivity/

Federal internet benefits at risk in Connecticut. Could a state bill fill in gaps?

zwalker@benton.org — Thu, 25 Apr 2024 20:06:43 +0000

Connecticut has been building its digital infrastructure to get more households online. Those efforts rely on federal funding to help the state address these gaps, particularly in places with limited access to affordable high-speed internet. But a federal program reducing monthly internet bills and providing device subsidies for lower-income households will sunset at the end of April if Congress does not renew funding. The Affordable Connectivity Program was implemented under the bipartisan infrastructure law, which was enacted in 2021. Advocates are looking at a bill before the Connecticut General Assembly on broadband internet service that they argue could serve as a “backstop” if the ACP goes away. Senate Bill 3 would, among other things, require certain companies to provide internet service that is affordable.

Benton Content:

Teaser:

Advocates are looking towards Connecticut's Senate Bill 3 to serve as a backstop if the ACP goes away

Source:

Connecticut Mirror

Author:

Lisa Hagen

Send date:

Fri, 04/26/2024

Daily Digest: