- Pennsylvania Directs Internet Funding to Coal Communities
- FCC Will Vote on Rules to Eliminate Digital Discrimination
- FCC Invites Public Comment on Broadband Connectivity, Maternal Health
- New Orleans Encourages Residents to Take Slow Internet Challenge
- Louisiana, Virginia Top States in Progress for Federal Broadband Funding
- Massachusetts Launches $145M Gap Networks Infrastructure Grant Plan
PENNSYLVANIA DIRECTS INTERNET FUNDING TO COAL COMMUNITIES
Counties and organizations located in Pennsylvania’s coal communities are getting a total of $17.3 million in new grant money to fund high-speed Internet expansion, workforce training, small business development and more, U.S. Sen. Bob Casey’s office has announced.
The job training is related to learning to benefit more from the expansion of high-speed Internet. A total of 19 organizations netted the grants, which are POWER grants from the Appalachian Regional Commission.
“Job training programs and access to high-speed internet are critical for success in our modern economy,” Casey said in a statement. “These grants from the Appalachian Regional Commission will bolster the workforce across Pennsylvania coal communities. I will continue fighting to ensure our rural communities have a voice in Washington and our workers don’t get left behind.”
More information — including a full list of recipients — can be found here. (Zack Quaintance)
FCC TO VOTE ON RULES TO ELIMINATE DIGITAL DISCRIMINATION
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will vote soon on rules aimed at preventing digital discrimination.
FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel is proposing final rules that the commission hopes will prevent discrimination challenges for accessing broadband based on race, income, ethnicity, color, religion and national origin. As of now, the FCC is slated to vote on these rules at its Open Commissions Meeting on Nov. 15. The approval of these rules would boost the FCC’s consumer protection powers.
More information about the rules and the upcoming vote can be found here. (Zack Quaintance)
FCC INVITES PUBLIC COMMENT ON BROADBAND CONNECTIVITY, MATERNAL HEALTH
In other federal news, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has voted to launch a proceeding to explore the ways the FCC’s Mapping Broadband Health in America platform could be expanded to help improve maternal care. The FCC is seeking comments on issues that will help guide this work.
The work dates back to the 2022 passage of S.198, the Data Mapping to Save Moms’ Lives Act, which aimed to address maternal mortality by requiring the FCC to integrate maternal health outcome data into the platform. In June 2023, the FCC announced an update to the platform to integrate maternal health data, and last week’s notice of inquiry will build on that progress.
“The United States is the only industrialized country with a rising level of maternal mortality,” said FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel in a statement, noting that the updated platform is an important tool but that the inquiry has been initiated to ensure the platform’s impact is maximized. (Julia Edinger)
NEW ORLEANS ENCOURAGES RESIDENTS TO TAKE SLOW INTERNET CHALLENGE
The city of New Orleans has launched the Slow Internet Challenge to help address the city’s digital divide. The initiative was launched by the city’s Office of Information Technology and Innovation (ITI) in partnership with ConnectLA to help the city reach its goal of eliminating the digital divide by 2029.
“We know the internet is not available or not sufficient for many households across our city, and this is our chance to prove it,” said CIO Kimberly LaGrue in the announcement.
The purpose is to collect the most accurate data possible, and ultimately, to help increase the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program funding. The deadline for city residents to report is Nov. 1. (Julia Edinger)
LOUISIANA, VIRGINIA TOP STATES IN PROGRESS FOR FEDERAL BROADBAND FUNDING
According to a dashboard released last week by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), Louisiana and Virginia have made the most progress toward implementing the $42.45 billion in federal funding from the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program.
The dashboard measures states’ progress on eight major milestones for the BEAD application process; the final step is NTIA approval. As of Oct. 25, both Louisiana and Virginia have met seven out of eight of these milestones. Vermont, Ohio, Kansas and Delaware follow behind with five out of eight milestones met. The NTIA dashboard will be updated weekly.
The planning process is critically important in helping states maximize the funding, and to do so in an equitable way. The planning process also varies by state as each state has been allocated a different amount of funding. (Julia Edinger)
MASSACHUSETTS LAUNCHES $145M GAP NETWORKS INFRASTRUCTURE PLAN
The Massachusetts Broadband Institute at MassTech has launched a new competitive grant program funded by $145 million in federal funds.
It’s called the Broadband Infrastructure Gap Networks Grant Program, and the money for it is coming from the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Capital Projects Fund, which aims to deliver high-speed Internet infrastructure to any areas that currently do not have it. The goal is to reach many such areas in Massachusetts with these grants, with a special emphasis on any that have substantial numbers of low-income households or disadvantaged residents.
Full details for these new programs will be shared via a webinar slated for Nov. 14.
More information about all of this can be found here. (Zack Quaintance)
