2021

NCC Partners with Libraries Without Borders to Discuss Connectivity & Resilience in Puerto Rico With One of Its Most Prominent Broadband Advocates

Blog Entry, By Francella Ochillo, Federal Policy, NCC News, News /

Over three million Americans call Puerto Rico home. That is more than the State of Wyoming, Vermont and the Dakotas combined. Much like any other part of the US, broadband connectivity has been a critical tool for education, healthcare, and government service delivery, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. Francella Ochillo, Executive Director of Next Century […]

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The White House Releases a Fact Sheet on the American Jobs Plan, Recognizing Broadband As Essential Infrastructure

Blog Entry, By Ryan Johnston, Federal Policy, News /

President Biden’s recent comment that “broadband is infrastructure” highlights a new federal commitment to treating broadband Internet service in the same way as water or electricity – as a necessity. In many disconnected communities across the nation, broadband infrastructure simply does not exist or is insufficient to meet the demands that modern Internet usage requires.

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NCC Discusses Affordability, Broadband Data, Grant Funding, and Digital Equity with Local Officials to Working to Address Persistent Connectivity Gaps

Blog Entry, By NCC Staff, News /

The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) is a nonpartisan membership organization, think tank, and publisher that provides resources for government officials, executives, journalists, educators, and community leaders. On April 8, 2021, it hosted a webinar to address a pressing global policy issue – the digital divide.  Over 400 local and state officials registered for the

NCC Discusses Affordability, Broadband Data, Grant Funding, and Digital Equity with Local Officials to Working to Address Persistent Connectivity Gaps Read More »

Next Century Cities Joins Public Interest Allies in Asking the FCC to Protect Lifeline for TracFone Subscribers

Blog Entry, By Ryan Johnston, Federal Policy, News /

In September, 2020 Verizon announced that it intended to acquire TracFone. Currently, TracFone is the largest prepaid wireless provider in the United States with around 21 Million customers. It is also one of the largest Lifeline providers in the country, accounting for almost 1.7 million subscribers. This is in stark contrast to Verizon, who only

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Next Century Cities Joins the City of Detroit & Connect 313 Advocates For A Community Update on the Emergency Broadband Benefit Program

Blog Entry, By NCC Staff, COVID-19, Federal Policy, News /

The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 provided $3.2 billion to create the Emergency Broadband Benefit Program (“EBB”). This program provides eligible households a $50 benefit ($75 on tribal lands) to purchase a broadband internet subscription. On February 25, 2021, the Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”) released the rules governing the program. These rules included consumer and

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NEXT CENTURY CITIES URGES THE FCC TO DEVELOP EMERGENCY CONNECTIVITY FUND RULES THAT ALLOW EACH COMMUNITY TO RESPOND TO UNIQUE CHALLENGES

Adoption, Affordability, ARPA funding, Broadband Access, Broadband Adoption, Broadband Affordability, Broadband Funding, broadband grant program, By Ryan Johnston, Community, COVID-19, Department of Education, Device Access, Digital Divide, Digital Equity, Digital Inclusion, Digital Literacy, Education, FCC, Federal Filing, Federal Policy, Filing, Libraries, Local & State Impact, Local Economies, Local Initiatives, Local Policy, NCC News, News, Press Releases /

You can find a pdf of the press release here. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Lukas Pietrzak lukas@nextcenturycities.org   Washington, D.C. (April 6, 2021) – Today, Next Century Cities (“NCC”) filed comments before the Federal Communications Commission (“Commission”) on how the Emergency Connectivity Fund, created by the American Rescue Plan Act, should be used. NCC’s comments

NEXT CENTURY CITIES URGES THE FCC TO DEVELOP EMERGENCY CONNECTIVITY FUND RULES THAT ALLOW EACH COMMUNITY TO RESPOND TO UNIQUE CHALLENGES Read More »

Next Century Cities Encourages FCC to Dream Big, Use American Rescue Plan Funding to Address the Digital Divide

Blog Entry, By Corian Zacher, By Ryan Johnston, COVID-19, Federal Policy, News /

Through American Rescue Plan, Congress appropriated $7 billion for the Emergency Connectivity Fund for schools and libraries. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the agency tasked with developing rules for distributing the funds, sought public comment on its proposal to limit the funding for only educational purposes and exclude mobile phones from the list of eligible

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Next Century Cities Hosts March Member Briefing on the Emergency Broadband Benefit and Upcoming NTIA Grant Programs

Blog Entry, By NCC Staff, Federal Policy, NCC News, News /

On March 31, 2021, NCC hosted a member briefing to discuss the Emergency Broadband Benefit (“EBB”) and upcoming funding opportunities for communities.  NCC Highlights. Lukas Pietrzak summarized NCC’s recent publications:  Next Century Cities March 2021 Newsletter Report: Communities Responding to Natural Disasters Through Network Resilience Letter to President Biden and Vice President Harris  NCC Steadily

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“Access, Literacy, and Livelihood:” Broadband Hui Leverages Public and Private Collaborations to Support Digital Equity for All Hawaii Residents

Blog Entry, By Corian Zacher, News /

As an unfunded initiative, the Hawaii Broadband Initiative stopped and started numerous times since its inception twelve years ago. Burt Lum started in his role as Strategic Officer in 2018, and hopes to implement lasting change.  When Lum joined the Hawaii Broadband Initiative, one of his main objectives was to get funding appropriated from the

“Access, Literacy, and Livelihood:” Broadband Hui Leverages Public and Private Collaborations to Support Digital Equity for All Hawaii Residents Read More »

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