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New Report: Native Nations and Federal Telecom Policy Failures: Lessons from the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund
A new report published today by the Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR) reveals how the sovereignty of Tribal Nations and their own efforts to solve connectivity challenges on Tribal lands can be undermined by the poor design and maze of bureaucracy associated with some federal broadband programs.
Small ISPs And Munis Top Consumer Reports Ranking While Altice, Comcast Fare Poorly
Consumer Reports’ latest survey of the most popular ISPs in America is once again dominated by smaller providers and community-owned and operated broadband networks. The magazine’s semi-paywalled report measured the opinions of 48,000 readers on a 100 point scale across four criteria: value for money, connection reliability, customer service, and speed.
California Awards $86 million in Federal Funding Account Grants, Community Broadband Projects Big Winners
Imperial, Lassen, and Plumas Counties are among the first recipients of California’s $2 billion Last Mile Federal Funding Account Grant Program (FFA). The cities of Oakland, Fremont, and San Francisco have also been awarded significant state awards. All told, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) awarded 11 FFA grants totaling over $86.6 million.
Vermont CUD Northwest Fiberworx Nabs $20 Million ARPA Infusion
Vermont CUD Northwest Fiberworx (NWFX) has received a $20.2 million infusion in state American Rescue Plan Act dollars to extend affordable fiber broadband into long-underserved regions of the Green Mountain State. Its latest build will connect 3,800 unserved and underserved households in Franklin and Grand Isle counties in the Northwest part of the state.
New York Announces $70 Million For Municipal Broadband Projects
As states gear up to administer federal BEAD funds from the bipartisan infrastructure law, a handful of states are already making significant investments in municipal broadband using federal Rescue Plan dollars. California, Maine, Vermont, and New York have each established grant programs that center municipal broadband projects (mostly fiber builds) – with New York being the most recent state to announce more than $70 million in awards through its ConnectALL Municipal Infrastructure Grant Program (MIP).
Benton Issues Opportunity Fund Fellowship Call: Barriers to Broadband
The call for applications for the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society Marjorie and Charles Benton Opportunity Fund is open. Deadline is August 31.
New $8.9 Million State Grant Boosts Dryden, NY Muni Fiber Network Build and Expansion Into Neighboring Caroline NY
The towns of Dryden and Caroline, New York have been awarded a new $8.9 million broadband grant courtesy of the New York State ConnectALL program to help deliver affordable fiber Internet service to residents of both towns. Launched two years ago, Dryden officials have told ISLR they’re making steady inroads on municipally-owned fiber deployment to the town of 14,500. Now they’re looking to expand the popular local broadband network further into the town of nearby Caroline.
Tribal Broadband Bootcamps Help Address 'Historic Gap in Internet Access on Tribal Lands’
The word is out: what began as a three-day intensive learning experience focused on building and running Tribal Internet networks has become a can’t-miss gathering of broadband-minded Tribal leaders coming together to “shore up historic disparities in connectivity in Indian Country.” The Associated Press shined a spotlight on the most recent bootcamp, which last month was once again convened at the southern California ranch of TBB co-founder Matthew Rantanen.
$25 Million Lamoille County, Vermont Fiber Build Gets Underway
After a three year "Herculean effort," trucks are rolling into Lamoille County to officially kick-off construction of a community-owned network bringing locals fiber for the first time ever, in public-private partnership with Consolidated Communications. Phase 1 will connect 4,170 addresses by the end of 2024 with Phase 2 slated to be finished by 2025.
FCC Rejects Broader Relief For Growing List Of RDOF Defaulters
In recent months a growing list of additional providers have been added to the list of RDOF defaults. Meanwhile, the FCC says the sooner the mess created by widespread defaults is cleaned up, the sooner regions can ensure they’re well positioned to receive what could be a generational outpouring of financial assistance.
Ting Brings Competition, Fiber Service and Microtrenching to Centennial, Colorado
The City of Centennial, Colorado is making steady inroads bringing affordable fiber Internet service to the city of 106,000, leveraging its city-owned fiber backbone and a partnership with the Charlottesville, VA.-based fiber provider Ting. Voter-approved efforts to get out from under the thumb of regional monopolies have driven a surge of competition in the city, most recently exemplified by Ting’s continued delivery of affordable gigabit fiber.
Federal Municipal Network Support Declining, Warns Experts
Experts express concern that federal support for municipal broadband is limited, prompting uncertainty about future funding and operational sustainability. At a Fiber for Breakfast event Wednesday, Tyler Cooper, editor-in-chief of Broadband Now, said that Broadband, Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) grants are less promising for municipal broadband deployments despite initial promises.