Efforts to create a new industrial park near New Carlisle have received a $1 million boost from the federal government. It was announced Friday that 24.4 miles of new fiber optic cable would be extended through western St. Joseph County and by the Navistar Proving Grounds left behind by Studebaker. “We purchased the facility in April of 2015, and when we first got here, that was one of the first things we attacked, is try to get at least a low-speed fiber line to the facility,” Navistar’s Brian Jacquay said. “It’s still not to the capacity where we need to be able to compete with all the neighboring states as well.”
Midwest states showing progress in rural connectivity
According to a report from the American Broadband Initiative, a federal initiative aimed at improving accessibility of internet connections, more than 92 percent of the U.S. population had access to fixed land-based broadband in 2016. However, of the 8 percent remaining, 80 percen...
FCC pledges more funding for rural broadband deployment
The Federal Communications Commission on Monday announced an additional $67 million in annual support to bring improved broadband service to rural America. The money is intended to help rural broadband providers deliver improved service to nearly 110,000 homes in rural communities...
Committee hopes to provide broadband throughout Lauderdale
Officials in Lauderdale County, AL are ramping up efforts to bring broadband access to more households. The county commission has set up a contract with Connected Nation to help develop a plan for access. A number of officials spoke on the issue, including County Commissioner Brad...
How Ventura County is working to increase broadband
A group of public and private entities and individuals are working to make sure Ventura County, CA is ready for "blazing fast" internet connectivity. In Ventura and Oxnard, "a consultant is exploring what it would take to a create a broadband master plan and develop a policy to en...
Manchin visits Central WV to discuss broadband access
U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) spoke before the West Virginia Broadband Enhancement Council about trying to expand the reach of broadband throughout the state. In his remarks, Sen. Manchin said, "We want to make sure that we understand who we are in West Virginia, the maps that a...
'Still a lot more to do' as Minnesota lawmakers push for border-to-border broadband
Broadband deployment advocates asked lawmakers to "back a proposal to boost state funding to fill gaps in internet coverage in pockets of rural Minnesota." The requests came a day after Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz proposed spending $70 million to expand high-speed internet access acro...