Community Broadband Media Roundup - October 1

Georgia

Regional meeting coming in October for rural broadband by Kevin Myrick, The Polk County Standard Journal 

 

Kentucky

Rural digital divide two-fold problem for KY, Kentucky News Connection 

 

Massachusetts

Springfield explores fiber-optic Internet system but winces at potential $50 million cost by Peter Goonan, MassLive

 

Minnesota 

Real hope for rural broadband on the Iron Range by Aaron J. Brown, Hibbing Daily Tribune 

 

North Carolina

Botetourt County to take next steps in increasing broadband access following end of summit by Alison Graham, The Roanoke Times

Avery receives grant to expand broadband in country by Brian Miller, GoBlueRidge.net 

 

Pennsylvania

Pa. Utility Commission wants to know: How fast is your Internet? by Brian C. Rittmeyer, TribLive

 

Tennessee

Commission considers broadband options by Autumn Hughes, Cleveland Daily Banner 

Dickson Co. applies for grants: Broadband, library could benefit by Chris Gadd, Nashville Tennessean

 

Texas

San Antonio Housing Authority wins $100K to address digital divide by JJ Velasquez, The Rivard Report

 

Wisconsin

Survey to assess Door County communities broadband Internet needs by Terry Kovarik, Door County Daily News

 

General 

Indigenous Connectivity Summit to address need for affordable and sustainable Internet access, Ottawa Citizen 

Poll: Congress isn’t fixing the digital divide by Danise Lee, KBND

U.S. voters say government ‘needs to do more’ for rural broadband, new poll finds, KUNC

Cities are teaming up to offer broadband, and the FCC is mad by Susan Crawford, Wired 

The South Bay partnership suggests a promising alternative: Maybe cities can cooperate and save money without compromising their local autonomy. At this same moment, though, the FCC is on a march to smother local authority by blocking states from regulating any aspect of broadband service, supporting states that have raised barriers to municipal networks, deregulating pricing for lines running between cities, and removing local control over rights-of-way that could be used to bring cheaper access into town.

Speak your piece: What’s D.C. doing for rural Internet? Not enough by Allie Bohm, The Daily Yonder

A digital divide problem: Medicaid recipients expected to prove eligibility online by Angela Siefer, National Digital Inclusion Alliance

How bad maps are ruining American broadband by Karl Bode, The Verge

The FCC’s $350 million broadband map, for example, relies on the agency’s Form 477 data to help educate users on broadband availability. But users who plug their address into the map will quickly find that it hallucinates not only the number of broadband options available in their area, but the speeds any local ISPs can provide. 

 

We must lower regulatory barriers to higher-quality broadband for more Americans by Jeff Westling and Joe Kane, The Hill 

USDA invests $600 million in rural broadband, but farmers still struggle to connect by Jenny Splitter, Forbes