Community Broadband Media Roundup - January 13

Arkansas 

New federal funding for broadband aims to expand rural Arkansas efforts  by Roby Brock, TBP

 

Massachusetts 

$10.2 million federal award to increase broadband access in Western Massachusetts by Zack DeLUCA, Greenfield Recorder

 

New York

New York has a plan to fix broadband by introducing actual competition by Karl Bode, Vice

 

The city is also promising that unlike incumbent ISPs, the city’s new network will respect concepts like privacy and net neutrality once completed. With the FCC now widely viewed as a rubber stamp for industry desires, the onus rests on localities to pick up the slack.

 

North Carolina 

Local agencies spending more time bridging ‘digital divide’ for those who don’t use tech in Johnson County by Leah Wankum, Shawnee Mission Post 

 

North Dakota

USDA invests $23 million broadband for rural North Dakota communities, Williston Herald 

 

Daktel Communications will use a $1.8 million ReConnect Program grant to provide broadband service to 406 households and three educational facilities over 354 square miles. Daktel Communications is a Competitive Local Exchange Carrier that provides services within the Jamestown, N.D., exchange.

  

Virginia

USDA invests $48 million in broadband for rural Virginia communities by CJ Paschall, NBC29 

 

General 

The FCC’s latest plan to close the rural digital divide, Benton Institute for Broadband & Society

 

Federal subsidies for satellite broadband by Doug Dawson, POTs and PANs 

 

Giving money to satellite providers makes no sense as broadband policy. They don’t bring new broadband to anybody since the satellite plans are already available. The plans are expensive, have high latency and low monthly data caps.

 

Advocates warn citizenship, digital divide may affect Census by Mike Schneider, San Francisco Chronicle 

 

FCC shares disbursement strategy for $20 billion rural-broadband fund by Ryan Johnston, statescoop