During a Town Hall meeting last Tuesday, 133 of the town’s 471 registered voters unanimously approved spending $400,000 for the construction of a town-owned broadband network. “We did this to make sure that we can pay the bill the day that construction begins,” said Board Chairman Howard Bronstein. The town is working with Westfield Gas and Electric, which is providing design, engineering, and project management services, to build the network. As planned, the town’s fiber-optic network will provide high-speed Internet and telephone service to every residence and business in town.
Rural broadband funding could connect more Ohio Valley communities to high-speed
With the new funding for a USDA Rural Development pilot program called ReConnect, which allows companies, nonprofits, and communities in under-served regions to apply for loans and grants to fund broadband projects, there may now be funding for building broadband infrastructure in...
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...
Statewide broadband bill passes out of committee
A bipartisan bill that would support the expansion of broadband service in Washington State, introduced in January by Gov. Jay Inslee, passed out of the House Capital Budget Committee last Tuesday in a unanimous vote. Governor Inslee’s office wrote that federal data "grossly...
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...