Mar 26, 2021 | Blog Entry, By Ryan Johnston, Federal Policy, Local Policy, State Policy
Broadband networks are part of the DNA of resilient communities. As evidenced throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, reliable and high-speed connections are vital for education, health, safety, and economic development. Natural disasters pose ongoing threats to broadband...
Mar 18, 2021 | By NCC Staff, State Policy
Mar 10, 2021 | Blog Entry, By NCC Staff, Federal Policy, News, State Policy
The National League of Cities’ Congressional City Conference would ordinarily draw thousands and city officials and staffers to Washington, DC, for keynote addresses, workshops, and networking events followed by a Hill day for local officials to meet with Members of...
Mar 9, 2021 | Blog Entry, By Corian Zacher, News, State Policy
Over the past year, Next Century Cities (NCC) has increased its outreach to state leaders and doubled down on participation in state level regulatory proceedings. In each of these projects, NCC has elevated local perspectives on broadband policy, highlighting the...
Mar 9, 2021 | Blog Entry, By NCC Staff, News, State Policy
NCC signed onto a letter supporting Idaho’s Senate Bill 1149, that also encourages the state legislature to go a step further by clearing the way for municipal solutions of all sorts to address connectivity problems that have persisted for decades. While providing...
Feb 11, 2021 | Blog Entry, By NCC Staff, Local Policy, NCC News, News, State Policy
On February 8, 2021, Next Century Cities staff met with local and state officials as well as digital equity advocates from the City of Baltimore, State of Maryland, and community organizations. NCC shared opportunities to build on broadband access and adoption...
Feb 8, 2021 | Blog Entry, By Corian Zacher, Local Policy, State Policy
Society has increasingly moved online over the past several years. Ensuring that everyone living in the United States has reliable, affordable, high-quality, and resilient broadband access has become not only an aspirational goal, but a necessity. Some communities...
Dec 21, 2020 | Blog Entry, By Corian Zacher, By Ryan Johnston, Federal Policy, Lifeline, State Policy
Local officials recurrently raise concerns about affordability when discussing challenges to expanding broadband access and improving adoption in their communities. While mobile internet is by no means a substitute for a fixed wireline connection, for people living...
Dec 10, 2020 | Blog Entry, By Corian Zacher, State Policy
Downtown Lexington, Kentucky Lexington is located in Fayette County, Kentucky, which has a relatively large amount of broadband deployment. In fact, Lexington is one of the largest Gigabit Cities in the country. Yet, the U.S. Census Bureau reports that only about 84%...
Dec 8, 2020 | Blog Entry, By Corian Zacher, COVID-19, State Policy
The COVID-19 pandemic has only increased the importance of reliable, affordable home broadband access for local economies and expanding education, healthcare, and employment opportunities for residents. State governments play an important role in broadband deployment,...
Oct 15, 2020 | Blog Entry, By NCC Staff, News, State Policy
On August 14, 2020, Governor Gavin Newsom issued Executive Order N-73-20, which instructs California agencies to employ specific measures to bridge the existing digital divide among residents. Weeks later, on September 18th, the California Public Utilities...
