2024

Federal Officials Invite Collaboration and Share Agency Updates at Bipartisan Tech

By Ryan Johnston Bipartisan Tech is always a tremendous opportunity to bring officials from the federal government to give insights to local leaders about what’s happening in Washington D.C. Next Century Cities has hosted iterations of this hallmark event before. The previousBipartisan Tech was held virtually and we were excited to resume the in-person Bipartisan […]

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Ten Years of Next Century Cities: Writing Broadband’s Next Chapter Together

By Andy Stutzman When you have been working in broadband advocacy and digital equity for as long as I have, emceeing a conference like Bipartisan Tech is somewhat of an ethereal, out-of-body experience. Seeing people and organizations from all corners of the advocacy world come together in the same space is not something that I

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Rallying for the Affordable Connectivity Program With Nonprofit Partners Public Knowledge

By Andy Stutzman   Today marks the last full day of funding for the federal government’s Affordable Connectivity Program (“ACP”) which provides financial support for 23 million low-income households across the country. To advocate for refunding the program, Next Century Cities joined forces with ally organizations, corporations, and public figures at the Affordable Connectivity Program

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Next Century Cities Highlights the Dangers of the End of the ACP for Broadband Affordability Efforts and Urges Congress to Refund the ACP Before the End of May.

You can find a PDF of this press release here. For Immediate Release Contact: Brittany-Rae Gregory Rivers brittany-rae@nextcenturycities.org April 30, 2024 Washington, D.C. (April 30, 2024) – Today marks the final day of the Affordable Connectivity Program’s last fully funded month. With the end of April, many ACP providers will offer a lower benefit of

Next Century Cities Highlights the Dangers of the End of the ACP for Broadband Affordability Efforts and Urges Congress to Refund the ACP Before the End of May. Read More »

Next Century Cities Applauds the Federal Communications Commission’s Reinstatement of the Net Neutrality Rules, But Urges Additional Action

You can find a PDF of this press release here. For Immediate Release Contact: Brittany-Rae Gregory Rivers brittany-rae@nextcenturycities.org April 25, 2024 Washington, D.C. (April 25, 2024) – Today, the Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”) took the necessary step of reclassifying broadband as a telecommunications service under Title II of the Communications Act. With 42 million households

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Minnesota’s Legislative Broadband Leadership Boosts BEAD Investments

By Corian Zacher With $65 billion on its way to states across the US, including over $651 million to Minnesota, state leaders introduced legislation that would reduce restrictions on municipal broadband by removing requirements that municipal broadband networks not compete with private Internet service providers and that 65% of local voters approve the proposal.  If

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Austin, Texas, and Next Century Cities Elevate Local Voices Panel Discussion on Broadband Affordability and Accessibility in Dallas

By Corian Zacher Affordability is often cited as the number one barrier to connecting residents with reliable broadband. An April 2024 report from Roberto Gallardo and Brian Whitacre that compared 2021 Ookla speed test data to Census Internet adoption data found that communities with older residents, more rural, and higher poverty, the average download speed

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Brick by Brick | Historically Black Colleges and Universities and the Connecting Minority Communities Pilot Program

You can find a PDF of this press release here. For Immediate Release Contact: Brittany-Rae Gregory brittany-rae@nextcenturycities.org March 7, 2024 Washington, D.C. (March 7, 2024) – In 2021, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration announced the launch of the Connecting Minority Communities Pilot Program (“CMC”), which provided a record $268 million to Historically Black Colleges

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The Loss of the Affordable Connectivity Program Could Look Like Digital Discrimination

By Stacey Baxter In December of 2021, the Federal Communications Commission launched the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), a continuation of the Emergency Broadband Benefit. This federal program provides a discount to American families looking to obtain or maintain broadband access, despite high service costs. Since its conception, over 23 million families have utilized this program

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Federal Advocacy Round-Up: The End of the Old and Start of the New Year at the FCC

By Ryan Johnston  The holiday season is associated with r family gatherings, ugly sweaters, and new year resolutions. However, in Washington, D.C. the last few months of the year are often a mad rush to finish the year’s policy proposals before the holiday season gets into full swing. The end of 2023 and beginning of

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