Alabama

Legislature advances broadband bill, funding by Caroline Beck, Alabama Daily News 

Arkansas

Community matters: Improving access to broadband by Sen. John Boozman, The Times Record 

Georgia

Bill clears electric co-ops for broadband services in Georgia by Stephen Hardy, Lightwave

Maine

ConnectME program launches $740K round of broadband grant funding, MaineBiz

Massachusetts 

Windsor annual town meeting preview, Berkshire Eagle

3rd candidate enters Ward 7 race for Northampton City Council by Bera Dunau, The Daily Hampshire Gazette

Michigan 

ISD part of team helping with rural Internet research by Phil Wenzel, The Sault News 

“Educators have been talking about the ‘digital divide’ for two decades, and while some progress has been made in closing the gap, inequities persist in communities across the country,” said Charlotte Bewersdorff, Merit’s vice-president of marketing and member engagement, in the release.

Minnesota 

Technobabble: Municipal fiber, could it happen to you? by Jason Ogaard, Hutchinson Leader

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Arkansas

Why did Arkansas change its mind on municipal broadband? by Nick Keppler, CityLab

“If someone with a degree in coding gets a remote job here, they can’t stay,” she says. Arkansans who want to take online classes face the same roadblock. “I’ve had people tell me they can’t pull up emails at their house,” Davis says. “They have to go to McDonalds and use the Internet.”

(please see our story for a more detailed analysis of the bill, SB 150, which passed this session) 

Colorado 

Yampa Valley Electric gets OK to start broadband work in Craig by Clay Thorp, Craig Daily Press

Loveland council to vote on new rules for small-cell wireless providers by Julia Rentsch, Reporter-Herald

Kansas

For small-town economic success, broadband is the new railroad by Peggy Lowe, Marketplace

Thanks to an existing local fiber network and help from the Rural Innovation Initiative, Emporia is hoping to become a rural tech hub, with an incubator for entrepreneurs who will bring jobs to the area.

Montana

Bozeman declares broadband as essential infrastructure by Katheryn Houghton, Bozeman Daily Chronicle 

Ohio

Affordable, reliable broadband key to economic development by Senator Rob Portman, Logan Daily News

Washington...

Colorado

Net neutrality measure moves to Polis' desk by Charles Ashby, The Daily Sentinel

"We have set aside nearly $170 million to support new Internet connections, broadband deployment to every corner of Colorado," Hansen said. "That was an incredibly important step that we took together as a General Assembly, but there was one important problem that we didn't address, and that is, what happens if we get in a situation where one of those new providers decides to offer service that's not net neutral."

Georgia

BRIEF: Georgia lawmakers OK electric co-ops to sell Internet service by Mark Niesse, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

“This authorizes one of the main players in rural Georgia to provide a service that they're not legally authorized to provide now,” said House Rules Chairman Jay Powell, a Republican from Camilla. “We're trying to break down the barriers that prevent services from being provided.”

Massachusetts

Holyoke ballot question will gauge interest in city-run Internet service by Dennis Hohenberger, MassLive

Apple Valley set to receive broadband by Grace Bird, The Greenfield Recorder 

Mississippi

CLW looks to fund broadband expansion itself by Amanda Lien, The Dispatch

Missouri 

Voter turnout, broadband Internet updates provided at county commission meeting by Sarah Gray, The Marshall Democrat-News

New York

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Arkansas

City of Fayetteville seeks broadband expansion by Hicham Raache, KNWA

"We want to make sure that the people in NWA and Fayetteville have the tools they need to understand the technology and to use it effectively to participate in the digital economy," Jordan said. 

California

Garamendi aims to ‘save the Internet’ with focus on rural communities by Matthew Keys, Daily Republic 

Colorado

Introducing community-owned and operated broadband, Estes Park News

Florida

Flagler business town hall focuses on broadband access by Aaron London, St. Augustine Record 

“We’ve gotten to a point today where having high-speed access is no different from turning on your water in the morning or turning your lights on,” she said. “It’s not something that separates us from an economic development standpoint when we have it to make us better than anybody else, but the differentiating point today is when you don’t have it.”

Iowa

Vinton pushes forward with fiber-to-home by Mitchell Schmidt, The Gazette

Maine

Maine picks new director to lead broadband push, The News & Observer

New York

Poloncarz wants to close county's digital divide with $20M high-speed network by Sandra Tan and Caitlin Dewey, The Buffalo News

Oregon

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