Central Electric Power Cooperative, Inc.’s Post

Big News! It's a proud moment for ROCK Networks, also part of the POMEGRAN INC. group. Securing a $97 million grant as part of a $172 million investment to enhance high-speed fiber broadband connectivity for rural and Indigenous areas in Northern Ontario. This initiative is set to positively impact over 18,600 households, including 2,580 Indigenous homes across the Huron Shore and Manitoulin Island regions. This significant step toward closing the digital divide and bringing advanced broadband services to underserved communities is truly inspiring. https://hubs.ly/Q02Dr0LN0 #ClosingTheDigitalDivide #EmpowerRuralCanada #TechAdvancement.

National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) earlier this month approved Kentucky's plan to utilize some $1.1 billion to expand broadband throughout the state via the federal Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment Program. Liam Niemeyer reports for the Kentucky Lantern.   "The next steps to roll out Kentucky’s funding include a process for ensuring the accuracy of the state’s broadband access maps. Meghan Sandfoss, AICP, the executive director of the Kentucky Office of Broadband Development, said her office has received more than 400,000 challenges to the maps from internet providers, nonprofits and local governments, and the challenge process should finish by July.  Accurate maps will better identify underserved and unserved parts of the state and make sure broadband expansion isn’t duplicative, Sandfoss said." #broadbandinternet #broadband #connectivity #criticalinfrastructure #construction #kentucky #fiberbroadband #BroadbandForAll Commonwealth of Kentucky #ruralbroadband #internetaccess #HighSpeedInternet #DigitalEquity #DigitalInclusion #PCCA https://lnkd.in/eC9TuWyQ

In a recent op-ed, Jim Smith, former mayor of Helena, MT rightfully warned how excessive regulation may hinder critical rural broadband expansion efforts, including in his home state of Montana. Smith wrote: “federal regulations threaten to undermine the promise of the Infrastructure, Investment, and Jobs Act and Montana’s ability to expand broadband to all remaining unserved and underserved areas of our state… With so much on the line, it’s time to rethink the aggressive regulatory approach that has put us in this situation and get back to the job of making lives better for Montanans across the state.”   Burdensome regulation will jeopardize the success of the Biden Administration's #InternetForAll goals – particularly for rural communities nationwide.   Read the full op-ed here: https://bit.ly/3wQKi3e   #BEAD #Connectivity #CableIndustry #Montana #10G 

Fibre broadband keeps moving forward and upward... All indicators for more fibre to the unconnected and unserved are looking well on the infrastructure side, with substantial federal funding moving into towns and communities across the country and more being lined up for availability in the second half of the year Projects currently underway with established federal programs include the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), the Department of Treasury’s $10 billion Coronavirus Capital Projects Fund (CPR), the FCC Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF), U.S. Department of Agriculture’s RUS Reconnect Fund, and many state funding programs. Most importantly, NTIA is now approving more Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Volume II Proposals, adding six states and the District of Columbia over the past 30 days. Kansas, Nevada, and West Virginia were approved in April, with D.C., Delaware, Washington state, and Pennsylvania approved in mid-May. Louisiana was the first back in December 2023. While there has been some consternation at the initial pace of approvals once Louisiana was announced, it is understandable given that BEAD is a unique federal program delivering a once-in-a-generation investment in the nation’s telecommunication infrastructure. We expect the pace of BEAD Volume II Proposal approvals to continue to increase as NTIA staff and states gain experience in working with eachother. Approval of BEAD Volume II Proposals opens the door for states to start accepting grant applications and get the process of moving money into network construction by the end of the year, if not sooner. But the federal government is not the only source of funding, with private investments complementing and sometimes supplementing network construction. AT&T’s Gigapower joint venture with Blackrock last year, and T-Mobile’s recent announcement with EQT to acquire Lumos Fiber and migrate it to a wholesale model, are indicative of two key factors that underline the importance of fiber in the near future and long term. Fiber is the key component in deploying high-speed 5G services across the nation for cellular towers, enabling smartphones and fixed wireless services in towns and neighborhoods. Second, the process of building and supporting 5G provides infrastructure necessary to go beyond towers and small cells and into the realm of expanding fiber services to homes and businesses with an economic growth path to 100 Gbps and beyond... As the industry’s voice, FBA continues to put a hard focus on research. Recently released studies and whitepapers include: - Fibre Installation Constraints Study - Fibre Broadband Scalability and Longevity - Fibre Deployment Annual Cost Study - Measures to Define and Deploy Trusted Fibre #FibreOptics #FibreOpticInstallations #AxisTech #Axis_Technical https://zurl.co/eYr5

Fibre broadband keeps moving forward and upward... All indicators for more fibre to the unconnected and unserved are looking well on the infrastructure side, with substantial federal funding moving into towns and communities across the country and more being lined up for availability in the second half of the year Projects currently underway with established federal programs include the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), the Department of Treasury’s $10 billion Coronavirus Capital Projects Fund (CPR), the FCC Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF), U.S. Department of Agriculture’s RUS Reconnect Fund, and many state funding programs. Most importantly, NTIA is now approving more Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Volume II Proposals, adding six states and the District of Columbia over the past 30 days. Kansas, Nevada, and West Virginia were approved in April, with D.C., Delaware, Washington state, and Pennsylvania approved in mid-May. Louisiana was the first back in December 2023. While there has been some consternation at the initial pace of approvals once Louisiana was announced, it is understandable given that BEAD is a unique federal program delivering a once-in-a-generation investment in the nation’s telecommunication infrastructure. We expect the pace of BEAD Volume II Proposal approvals to continue to increase as NTIA staff and states gain experience in working with eachother. Approval of BEAD Volume II Proposals opens the door for states to start accepting grant applications and get the process of moving money into network construction by the end of the year, if not sooner. But the federal government is not the only source of funding, with private investments complementing and sometimes supplementing network construction. AT&T’s Gigapower joint venture with Blackrock last year, and T-Mobile’s recent announcement with EQT to acquire Lumos Fiber and migrate it to a wholesale model, are indicative of two key factors that underline the importance of fiber in the near future and long term. Fiber is the key component in deploying high-speed 5G services across the nation for cellular towers, enabling smartphones and fixed wireless services in towns and neighborhoods. Second, the process of building and supporting 5G provides infrastructure necessary to go beyond towers and small cells and into the realm of expanding fiber services to homes and businesses with an economic growth path to 100 Gbps and beyond... As the industry’s voice, FBA continues to put a hard focus on research. Recently released studies and whitepapers include: - Fibre Installation Constraints Study - Fibre Broadband Scalability and Longevity - Fibre Deployment Annual Cost Study - Measures to Define and Deploy Trusted Fibre #FibreOptics #FibreOpticInstallations #AxisTech #Axis_Technical https://zurl.co/eYr5

We need to use ALL of the #tools in the #broaband toolbox!

I came across this article titled “From Dusty Roads to Digital Highways” which sheds light on the transformation of rural communities through technology. The article discusses how small towns leverage digital infrastructure to enhance education, healthcare, and economic opportunities. It’s a must-read for anyone interested in bridging the urban-rural divide. Have you seen similar initiatives in your community? Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/gr68avBr #DigitalTransformation #RuralCommunities 

12 Days: For State Broadband Offices, 2023 Was All About BEAD : All 56 states and territories have released for comment their Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment proposals. https://lnkd.in/eF5nRS3S

What kind of limitations do you experience due to poor connectivity? We are partnering with the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society and the University of Illinois Extension on Project Broadband Breakthrough to target the challenge of insufficient internet access in rural Illinois counties. Our goal is to address the limitations imposed by poor broadband, which limits productivity and growth, particularly impacting farmers' connections to markets, information, and their communities. Learn more about our partnership at https://lnkd.in/g_kGmZq9 - - - #SoyOnTheGo

The Oklahoma Broadband Governing Board has awarded over $6.5 million in grants to four companies to boost high-speed internet access in the region. (KanOkla Telephone, Chisholm Broadband, Resound Networks, and Southwestern Bell) These grants, part of the $374 million state initiative, will impact 55,000 homes and businesses in 57 counties. #BroadbandExpansion #DigitalInfrastructure #OklahomaTech #ConnectivityForAll #InternetAccess # #OklahomaInnovation #Internet #DigitalTransformation #Arelion #AS1299 Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/eVhTKxw2