The Idaho Public Utilities Commission wants comments by April 10 on Ziply Fiber's application to be designated as an eligible telecom carrier. If approved, the carrier will be allowed to offer Lifeline services. Comments are due in docket ZWL-T-24-02.
A bipartisan Colorado bill (S-213) introduced Monday would allocate $842,346 for broadband to serve the Buena Vista Correctional Complex, San Carlos Correctional Facility and Colorado Territorial Correctional Facility.
The Oklahoma Broadband Office on Monday opened a second request for information window for ISPs to comment on its proposed network expansion territories (NETs). The agency noted that NTIA updated its eligible locations for the BEAD program to account for awarded tribal broadband connectivity program funding (see 2503250035). Only the updated NETs are available for RFI submissions. Filings are due April 9.
Pioneer Telephone Cooperative launched its first two projects in rural Oklahoma, the state Broadband Office announced Friday (see 2503250035). The projects, totaling $878,000, were funded by the Department of Treasury's Capital Projects Fund and will connect 86 homes and businesses with fiber. A third infrastructure expansion program will be awarded "in late summer," the Oklahoma Broadband Office said. "Today’s launch is about more than just laying fiber -- we’re laying the foundation of opportunity, growth and connection for the entire state of Oklahoma,” said Executive Director Mike Sanders. “Rural Oklahomans are no longer being left behind, and we’re getting it done one community at a time.”
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) on Thursday announced nearly $50 million in additional funding for broadband infrastructure throughout the state. The latest round of funding expands New York's ConnectALL program to nearly $300 million, which includes an infusion from the Department of Treasury's Capital Projects Fund. "Phase 4 of the municipal infrastructure program builds on our ongoing efforts to address broadband gaps in areas that have been overlooked and underserved by traditional internet service providers," Hochul said. Applications are due April 25.
Connecticut reached an agreement with Verizon and Frontier as part of their $20 billion all-cash deal, the state's Office of Consumer Counsel (OCC) said Thursday in a letter to the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (see 2409050010). The office asked that the agreement and joint application by Verizon and Frontier be approved. "OCC fully supports the Authority’s approval of the settlement agreement in its entirety," it said. The agreement included several consumer protections, including the elimination of junk fees, expanding low-income broadband discounts, and other public safety measures. "At a time when the federal government is dismantling protections for telecommunications consumers, it is up to states to step in and protect the public," said OCC Counsel Claire Coleman.
North Carolina lawmakers introduced a bill Tuesday that would establish a broadband assistance program similar to the FCC's affordable connectivity program. S-551 was filed by Democratic state Sens. Natalie Murdock and Joyce Waddell and proposes a minimum monthly credit of $15 for broadband for low-income families. It would allow the state's Department of Commerce to adjust the benefit "according to family size." The department could also remove recipients from the program if an ISP informs it that the recipient's account is more than 45 days past due. The bill notes that $250,000 was appropriated for the program from the department's general fund for the 2025-26 fiscal year.
Every Maine resident "who wanted a connection could get one" by the end of 2024, the Maine Connectivity Authority said in its annual impact report. Released Monday, the report found that 3% of locations have slow or unreliable internet, while 1% could connect only through the state's working internet ASAP program. The report said that BEAD funding will upgrade the remaining 26,000 broadband serviceable locations whose service is at less than 100/20 Mbps. "We have made great progress, but the work is not done," wrote MCA President Andrew Butcher, adding that the agency will launch a $15 million digital opportunity campaign to expand digital equity initiatives. It will also "begin construction on a state-owned middle mile network" and launch a "wireless and cellular initiative" to improve mobile service.
Oregon lawmakers will consider a bill that would repeal the sunset of the state's Lifeline plan. The House Economic Development, Small Business and Trade Committee will consider the bill, HB-3148, at 8 a.m. Wednesday. If adopted, the bill would make permanent a plan for low-income consumers to access telecom services. It would also repeal the surcharge requirement but still allow the Public Utility Commission to use part of it for marketing and outreach for the program.
Brightspeed announced Thursday that it received a $1.5 million grant to deploy fiber to nearly 2,400 additional locations in Trumbull County, Ohio. The company previously received more than $12.3 million in local, state and federal funding to connect 5,900 homes and businesses throughout the state. “We are excited to see years of hard work pay off with this partnership and to have Trumbull County residents who have traditionally been unserved or underserved receive a broadband connection directly to their front door,” said Trumbull County Planning Commission Director Julie Green.