Fast, affordable Internet access for all.
Top Stories
Latest Stories
Our Community Network Map Now Shows Tribal Networks Across the United States
We've been adding features and functionality to our brand new community network map to show in more detail where and what publicly owned networks are building around the United States. Today, we take a big step: adding Tribal networks serving their communities to the map.
NTIA Signals It Will Follow Law on Non-Deployment Funds, But Wants More Ideas
Close to a 1,000 broadband-minded registrants attended yesterday’s NTIA listening session, surfacing suggestions on how to spend “non-deployment” funds. Given how many advocates attended yesterday’s listening session, NTIA officials agreed to hold yet another listening session next Wednesday, February 18.
Lehi, Utah Finishes Open Access Fiber Network
Lehi, Utah and its partner Strata Networks say they’ve completed construction of Lehi Fiber, the city-owned, open access fiber network that’s dramatically reshaped broadband affordability and competition in the city of 80,000. Locals now have the options of multiple tiers of service across the five different Internet Service Providers.
A $20 Verizon Internet Deal on Paper – Will Depend Heavily on Enforcement
California’s Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) recently signed off on Verizon’s $20 billion merger with telecom giant Frontier with some notable conditions. While the concessions extracted from Verizon by the CPUC are promising, they’ll require consistent monitoring and enforcement, something that hasn’t always been a strong suit when it comes to state and federal oversight of politically powerful regional telecom monopolies.
Starlink Demands Less Oversight As It Receives Hundreds Of Millions In New Subsidies
Elon Musk’s Starlink is making new demands of states with an eye on eroding accountability and oversight, reheating concerns about whether spending big money on the Low Earth Orbit (LEO) network is the best possible use of taxpayer resources. Last week, Broadband.io and the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society obtained a copy of a letter Starlink parent company SpaceX sent to individual states, demanding freedom from state oversight and monitoring should they bungle installs or fail to deliver acceptable bandwidth.
New Mexico Completes First ARPA Broadband Deployment In Rural Chaves County
New Mexico’s Office of Broadband Access and Expansion has announced the completion of a landmark broadband infrastructure expansion project that delivered affordable next-gen broadband access to dozens of long-neglected homes in a remote subdivision in rural Chaves County. The successful completion of the Chaves County project is OBAE’s first grant project to reach 100 percent completion, and the first Connect New Mexico Pilot Program project funded through the federal American Rescue Plan Act Capital Projects Fund to reach the final stage.
Maryland Lawmakers Advance Broadband Affordability Bill Despite Federal Pushback
Two dozen state lawmakers in Maryland have signed on to the Broadband Opportunity and Fairness Act, state legislation that seeks to address broadband affordability. Introduced by Delegate Kris Fair (D-3A, Frederick Co.), the bill now has 25 co-sponsors and is slated for a Feb. 12 legislative hearing before the House Economic Matters Committee. Companion legislation has yet to be filed in the Senate, though Delegate Fair’s office says they are in discussions with state Senators about advancing a bill through that chamber as well.
ILSR, Tribal Nations, and Other Groups Call For Tribal Licensing Window in Upcoming Spectrum Auction
This week, the Institute for Local Self-Reliance joined with other public interest groups and Tribal nations to urge the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to adopt a Tribal Licensing Window in the upcoming auction of Upper C-Band spectrum.
Vienna, Maine Looks To Grow Fledgling Muni-Network
Vienna, Maine recently launched its own municipal fiber network, finally bringing affordable next-generation broadband access to the small town’s 600 residents. The town’s focus has shifted to demonstrating the value of fast affordable access to remaining locals that regional incumbents are trying to lure away with temporary promotional offers.
New York Expands Its Historic Investment In Municipal Broadband
New York Governor Kathy Hochul has announced a dramatic expansion of the state’s Municipal Infrastructure Program. It will result in an additional $36 million cash infusion for the growing number of creative, community-owned and operated fiber expansion projects in the state, as the existing program has already funded more than $268 million in assorted open access fiber projects across the state.
In Tribal Business News: Trump administration’s tribal broadband cuts, “reforms” raise red flags ahead of consultation
ILSR publishes new piece in Tribal Business News on how the future of tribal broadband has quietly but fundamentally shifted over the last few months. A recent announcement by the Trump administration upended the Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program, canceling over $160 million in announced grants and leaving nothing but questions about the hundreds of millions of dollars remaining in the program.
Lamoille FiberNet CUD Finishes County-Wide Fiber Deployment
Lamoille FiberNet's $24 million public-private partnership with Fidium Fiber to deliver fiber broadband access to nearly every deliverable address in Lamoille County has been completed. The collaboration resulted in the deployment of 550 miles of fiber, resulting in gigabit-capable next-generation broadband access being made available to 5,000 unserved or underserved addresses across the county.