It’s still quite common for telcos and electric cooperatives to go it alone on fiber deployments, however. Last June, the Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR) released research that said 140 U.S. telecom and electric cooperatives have deployed gigabit broadband services, primarily in rural areas. The majority of these were independent projects, rather than partnerships between the two types of companies. The 2019 research showed a big increase from 2017, when ILSR identified 87 gigabit broadband deployments by telco or electric cooperatives.

Iowa

Clear Lake Internet provider making it easier to work from home by Mike Bunge, KIMT3 News

Maine

Litchfield Broadband Committee: Legislature should support community broadband, Central Maine

Minnesota

Paul Bunyan Communications expanding to Pennington, Strawberry areas of Leech Lake Indian Reservation, The Pilot Independent

Internet providers ready to handle deluge of remote workers, Minnesota’s Internet experts say by Caitlin Anderson, StarTribune

Otter Tail County selected for Blandin Community Broadband Program, Pioneer Journal

Missouri

Coronavirus fight shows need for broadband infrastructure by...

Community Broadband Media Roundup - March 16

Posted March 16, 2020 by Sushmita Shrestha

Maine

Somerville voters agree to seek grants to create municipal broadband network by Keith Edwards, Central Maine

Massachusetts

OpenCape Offers Clients 100% Free Bandwidth Upgrades To Combat COVID-19, OpenCape

New Hampshire

Westmoreland approves broadband project at town meeting by Olivia Belanger, Sentinel Source

New York

Two states divert to telework. Are others ready? By Andrew Westrope, GovTech

Ohio

How Cleveland is bridging both digital and racial divides by Lara Fishbane and Adie Tomer, Brookings

Wisconsin

Wisconsin Offers Tax Breaks for Rural Broadband Investments by Carl Weinschenk, telecompetitor

General

The National Broadband Plan at 10: A decade of lessons on increasing home broadband adoption, Benton Institute

...

Community Broadband Media Roundup - March 9

Posted March 9, 2020 by Sushmita Shrestha

California

Thousands in San Jose lack Internet access. Here’s how the city plans to change that by Maggie Angst, The Mercury News

Illinois

USDA invests $3.4 million in broadband for rural Illinois communities, Agrinews

Mississippi

Eastern Mississippi co-op considering offering broadband, The Sacramento Bee

A Mississippi electric utility cooperative (4-County Electric Power Association) is considering whether to provide its customers with broadband internet more than a year after a state law allowed co-ops to offer the services.

North Carolina

Here's what new report has to say about North Carolina’s broadband expansion, WRAL TechWire

Ohio

Bridging the digital divide in Youngstown is a work in progress by Justin Dennis, Mahoning Matters

Pennsylvania

Westmoreland and other counties identify Internet access as critical need, plan service expansion by Kris B. Mamula, Post-Gazette

Texas

USDA grant could help hundreds in rural Walker County get broadband by Joseph Brown, Government Technology

As technology advances, we continue working to make our distribution system smarter and more robust.” MidSouth CEO Kerry Kelton. “Being able to add fiber across our utility network will allow us to modernize operations and enhance our...

Community Broadband Media Roundup - March 2

Posted March 2, 2020 by Sushmita Shrestha

Arizona

Star Valley joins county to plan for broadband by Teresa McQuerrey, Payson Roundup

Colorado

Rural Colorado sees more broadband options coming online. But getting up to speed is taking longer than anticipated in some areas by Tamara Chuang, The Colorado Sun

"To be able to serve the entire region, all 100,000 people out here, it’s going to be a hybrid of a fiber backbone, fiber to the premise in communities where appropriate, and a wireless overlay to get to those areas where (fiber) is not cost-effective infrastructure,” she said. “Farmer Bob is probably not going to have the dollars to lay fiber down his 20-mile long driveway. And that’s OK. But he and that household do not deserve any less than anybody else just because they live in the rural areas.”

Georgia

USDA invests $5 million in broadband for rural Georgia communities, AllonGeorgia

Maine

State releases plan to bring broadband to 150 Maine communities, WMTW

"Broadband is a lifeline for rural communities to connect for businesses, to charge credit cards, or order inventory, or for students to be able to do homework and take classes, for communities to have access to health care," Department of Economic Community Development Commissioner Heather Johnson said.

Maine faces obstacles in broadband expansion efforts by Caitlin Andrews, GovTech

Maryland

Gearing up to fight for rural broadband by Candice Spector, The Star Democrat (account required)

Massachusetts

...

Community Broadband Media Roundup - February 24

Posted February 24, 2020 by Sushmita Shrestha

California

California’s broadband fund ignores fiber and favors slow DSL by Ernesto Falcon, EFF

The California legislature needs to fix CASF and convert it into a fiber infrastructure fund focused on upgrading Californian communities into the 21stcentury. To do so, the legislature needs to amend the broadband standard for eligible projects to 100 mbps download by 100 mbps upload with low latency and establish that as the new goal by deleting the DSL standard.

Colorado

Bayfield moves toward improved broadband plan by Shannon Mullane, Herald

Illinois

USDA invests $3.4 million in broadband for rural Illinois communities, USDA

Iowa

Waterloo, Cedar Falls Utilities fear new broadband rules by Tim Jamison, The Courier

Maine

Big telecom say it has first amendment right to sell your private data by Karl Bode, Vice

Last June, Maine passed a new law intended to protect broadband user privacy. The law demands ISPs clearly disclose what data is collected and who it’s sold to, requiring that users opt in to the sale of sensitive location or financial data. The law also bans ISPs from charging you extra if you want your privacy protected, a practice AT&T engaged in for years.

New Hampshire

NH law could hasten local broadband buildout by Adam Sullivan, WCAX 3

...

Community Broadband Media Roundup - February 17

Posted February 17, 2020 by Sushmita Shrestha

Georgia

USDA invests $4.4 million in rural broadband infrastructure in Georgia’s Gilmer County, USDA

Illinois

State to release $50 million in grants to expand broadband by Kade Heather, SJ-R

Kansas

Not connected and no Netflix: ‘It’s frankly embarrassing’ in these Kansas towns by Kevin Hardy and Jonathan Shorman, The Kansas City Star

The lack of reliable and high-speed Internet is a well known problem across rural America. But the gaps in access continue to widen as more and more work, school and leisure activities migrate to the digital world. That has accelerated the need for ultra-fast speeds at a time when many parts of Kansas and Missouri have yet to reach the baseline of what’s considered high-speed Internet.

Missouri

How a new model can expand broadband access across communities by Blair Levin, Brookings Institution

New York

New York City and the FCC have two very different plans for expanding broadband access by Blair Levin, Brookings Institution

Wisconsin

Demand for broadband Internet remains high in rural Wisconsin by Shamane Mills, WPR

General

...

Community Broadband Media Roundup - February 10

Posted February 10, 2020 by Sushmita Shrestha

Colorado

Project Thor aims to bring Summit County into broadband future by Deepan Dutta, Summit Daily

Everyone should benefit from the higher capacity that is now available,” said Summit County Commissioner Karn Stiegelmeier, who is also board chair for the Northwest Colorado Council of Governments. “There are many potential benefits for our 911 center, for the hospital, where we often have outages that can be potentially life threatening.

Florida

Lakeland seeks private partners to bring forward broadband ideas by Sara-Megan Walsh, The Ledger

Illinois

Illinois releases first phase of getting high-speed Internet everywhere in the State by Breane Lyga, WREX

Iowa

What the Iowa Caucus means for getting Iowa online by Makena Kelly, The Verge

Kentucky

Group in Oldham County propose municipal owned broadband system by Rose McBride, WHAS11

Maryland

Companies propose $48 million investment in Internet infrastructure in Hagerstown by Alexis Fitzpatrick, Herald-Mail

Massachusetts

Washington penny-pinches its way to high-speed Internet by Larry Parnass, The Berkshire Eagle

This year, three fiber service...

Community Broadband Media Roundup - February 3

Posted February 3, 2020 by Sushmita Shrestha

Arizona

For remote tribes, free airwaves licenses mean chance to connect by Jon Reid, Bloomberg Law

The effort is aimed at bringing internet connections to rural tribal lands—among the least connected parts of the country. Only 45% of people on those lands have access to fixed internet and LTE download speeds capable of streaming high-definition video, according to the latest FCC data. That leaves more than a million people without access to modern broadband internet service.

USDA invests $1.6 million in broadband for rural Arizona communities, USDA

Colorado

A second broadband grant application for Chalk Creek Canyon by Jan Wondra, Ark Valley Voice

Kentucky

USDA invests $55.3 million in broadband for rural Kentucky and Tennessee communities, USDA

Louisiana

USDA invests $15.5 million in broadband for rural Louisiana communities, USDA

Maine

Maine gets nearly $10 million from federal government to expand broadband access, WMTW

Maryland

Shore lawmakers to fight for high-speed Internet by Candice Spector, The Star Democrat...

Community Broadband Media Roundup - January 27

Posted January 27, 2020 by Sushmita Shrestha

Arizona

Bringing rural Arizona up to (high) speed by Victoria Harker, Chamber Business News

Idaho

The cost of connectivity in Ammon, Idaho by Becky Chao and Lucas Pietrzak, New America

Louisiana

Get Internet service to rural Louisiana, American Press

Ballard said the problem in Louisiana has been the belief that only private industry is innovative and efficient enough to provide internet service. However, he said private companies in this state didn’t extend phone lines to all rural areas until 2005. It’s also why nearly a million homes and businesses get their power from electric cooperatives created by the federal government.

Maine

Broadband-bill sponsors hope to improve Maine’s Internet by Laura Rosbrow, Public News Service

Minnesota

Lueck announces 4 local entities to receive $2.7 million in MN broadband grants, Brainerd Dispatch

Millions awarded for rural broadband in Harmony by Talia Milavetz, KAALtv

Nebraska

USDA invests $5.7 million in broadband for rural Nebraska communities, USDA