Sep 20, 2021 | Blog Entry, By NCC Staff, Emergency Broadband Benefit, FCC, Low-income
The Emergency Broadband Benefit is a COVID-relief benefit program designed to ensure that cost is not a barrier to getting and maintaining a broadband subscription. Eligible households can receive a monthly discount of up to $50 per month for broadband service from a...
Sep 17, 2021 | Blog Entry, Broadband Affordability, Broadband Speed, By Corian Zacher, Chattanooga, Connecticut, Department of Labor, Emergency Broadband Benefit, Florida, Labor Day, State Policy
Many states and local governments view digital connectivity as a necessary prerequisite for economic development. Small businesses, agricultural production, and manufacturing all require broadband to conduct daily activities. The pandemic shed light on the many ways...
Sep 17, 2021 | Blog Entry, Broadband Access, Broadband Adoption, By Lukas Pietrzak, Homework Gap
Every year, back-to-school elicits a feeling of excitement and nervousness for over 50 million students across the country. This year, those feelings are even more potent. For a year and a half, over 90% of students in the US participated in some form of distance...
Sep 17, 2021 | Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill, Blog Entry, Broadband Access, Broadband Adoption, Broadband Affordability, By Ryan Johnston, Digital Equity, Federal Policy, Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act
On August 10, 2021, the Senate passed a landmark $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill known as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The proposed legislation includes a $65 billion investment in fast and reliable broadband infrastructure. States and municipalities...
Sep 3, 2021 | Blog Entry, By Corian Zacher, By Ryan Johnston, Digital Divide
As the new school year begins and COVID-19 variant cases are on the rise, some school districts decided to continue utilizing remote learning applications. Even schools that have returned to in-person learning see the benefits of using online learning software that...
Aug 24, 2021 | Affordability, Blog Entry, By Ryan Johnston, Federal Policy, Filing, Lifeline, Reply Comments
When the federal Lifeline program was established in 1985, it provided a discount on phone service to qualifying low-income consumers. This continued until March 31, 2016, when the Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”) adopted an order to reform the Lifeline...
Aug 24, 2021 | Blog Entry, Broadband Access, By Lukas Pietrzak, By Ryan Johnston, Colorado, Conferences, Digital Divide, Digital Equity, Funding
For the first time in over a year, policy experts, industry representatives, and digital advocates convened in person in Keystone, Colorado, for the Mountain Connect conference. It included keynotes from broadband experts highlighting the state of the broadband...
Aug 23, 2021 | Beaver Island, Blog Entry, Broadband Funding, By Corian Zacher, Digital Divide, Federal Policy, Local Initiatives, Michigan, Peaine Township, PPP, St. James Township
On July 29, 2021, Next Century Cities submitted a letter supporting a proposal from St. James Township and Peaine Township to bring fiber-to-the-home service to residents of Beaver Island, Michigan. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration...
Aug 23, 2021 | Blog Entry, Breckenridge, By Corian Zacher, Centennial, Colorado, Digital Equity, Digital Inclusion, Fort Collins, Larimer County, public housing, Public-Private Partnerships, State Policy
On July 20, 2021, Mark Pfaffinger, Chief Information Officer for Larimer County; Richard Holt, City Councilor and Fiber Commission Chair for the City of Centennial; Shannon Haynes, Assistant Town Manager for the Town of Breckenridge; and Chad Crager, Director of...
Aug 20, 2021 | Blog Entry, By Lukas Pietrzak, Digital Equity, Digital Inclusion, State Policy
On August 2nd, 2021, NCC’s Lukas Pietrzak joined advocates from across the country to discuss the ways our work aimed at various aspects of broadband access and adoption can jointly close the digital divide for America’s Heartland. Panelists highlighted initiatives...
Aug 11, 2021 | Blog Entry, Digital Divide, Digital Equity, Digital Inclusion, Guest Blogger, Libraries, Telehealth
By Craig Settles A glimmer of bright silver light shone from within the COVID-19 pandemic – advancements in telehealth technology. Additionally, necessity became the mother of invention regarding how we reach populations in need of telehealth services, a goal that...
Aug 10, 2021 | Accessibility for People with Disabilities, Blog Entry, By Corian Zacher, Digital Equity, Digital Inclusion
TDI, a non-profit focused on advancing the voices of people who are deaf, hard of hearing, late-deafened, deaf-blind, and deaf with mobility issues in Information and Communications Technology, hosted its 24th biennial conference the week of July 26th. On July...
