City of Long Beach’s Post

Exciting News for Pennsylvania: The Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program is set to revolutionize internet accessibility across the state! With over $1.16 billion allocated, we're on the brink of a transformative shift towards high-speed broadband in previously underserved areas. 🗺️ The Federal Communications Commission 's National Broadband Map is a crucial resource in this initiative, offering insights into current internet availability. Check it out at https://lnkd.in/entGenAV and make sure your community's data is accurately represented. 👥 The BEAD Program will soon launch its own map challenge process, providing an opportunity for governments, nonprofits, and industry organizations to ensure accurate broadband mapping. This process is expected to begin this month. 💻 To participate in the BEAD Challenge, agencies must have an FCC Registration Login and an NTIA Tier E License. Get prepared now to advocate for your community's connectivity and ensure equitable access to high-speed internet for all. Let's make a difference together! Read more here: https://lnkd.in/eZX9fV7j #BroadbandEquity #DigitalInclusion #PAConnectivity

Now presenting: the UME Marylanders Online's Fiscal Year 2024 Impact Report! Take a look to learn how we're closing the digital divide by empowering thousands of Marylanders with essential tech skills and digital connectivity. The full report is available on our website: https://lnkd.in/e5qEHUNB. Some key highlights from FY24 include: 🛜 Expanding digital connectivity and access for 5,400 Marylanders through 89 Affordable Connectivity Program (#ACP) events and 155 device distributions. 💡Training 1,400 individuals and 320 digital navigators through over 100 classes. ☎️ Handling 17,120 Helpline calls, including bilingual assistance for 9% of callers. Marylanders Online thanks the University of Maryland Extension, the community, partners, funders, and all other entities who have contributed to the many tangible achievements of this #DigitalLiteracy project. Together, we are working to ensure that both present and future Marylanders have the opportunity to thrive in the rapidly evolving digital world. #Maryland #DigitalInclusion #DigitalConnectivity #TechSkills #Training #FY24impact #DigitalDivide

The Washington State Broadband Office is preparing now for the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program challenge process that’ll help ensure accuracy of the Broadband Service Locations across the state. This includes identifying all served, underserved and unserved locations as we pursue our goals of Washington’s Internet for All initiative. Who’s eligible to challenge? • Local governments • Nonprofit organizations • Tribal governments • Internet service providers The broadband service map is still being developed, but we’re working to ensure eligible challengers understand the process and how to participate. Several webinars and trainings are scheduled to provide instruction on how to use the portal when it opens for challenges and rebuttals. • Overview and welcome: Friday, March 15, 9 to 10:30 a.m., Register: https://bit.ly/4cdmkzG • Training Module 1: March 19, 21 and 26 • Training Module 2 (Rebuttal): April 8 and 10 Learn more and register for all upcoming webinars: https://bit.ly/3PiWQ9Y The federal BEAD program provides funding to expand high-speed internet access by funding planning, infrastructure deployment and adoption programs. Washington is receiving $1.2 billion of this funding.

Great to talk with Deepa Fernandes of NPR’s Here and Now about the implications of ending the federal Affordable Connectivity Program for 23 million US households. Have a listen. Later this week, the Senate will vote to continue the #ACP with short-term funding paid for by the proposed sales of spectrum bands. Even so, a sustainable and permanent solution is needed. #digitaladvancement #internetforall #digitalequity

🌐 Championing Affordable Connectivity for All: A Call to Action for Our Counties Thrilled to stand in solidarity with our county leaders as they advocate for the extension of the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) in Washington, D.C.! At the heart of the matter is ensuring that low-income families, spanning urban, suburban, and rural communities, have continued access to affordable high-speed internet—a vital utility in today's interconnected world. Our organization has long been committed to supporting local governments in their mission to bridge the digital divide. We recognize the pivotal role technology plays in enhancing business operations, advancing educational opportunities, and propelling infrastructure growth in municipalities. The ACP, providing essential monthly subsidies for broadband, has been a beacon of hope for over 22 million homes nationwide, but its future hangs in the balance as the program faces an imminent expiration in April. Let's amplify the message of our county leaders who are urging Congress to pass the ACP Extension Act, allocating $7 billion to sustain this critical program. As advocates for organizations, including nonprofits, educational institutions, and government entities, we understand the profound impact that affordable internet access can have on communities. In our ongoing commitment to technological advancements, our organization has played a crucial role in assisting local governments to find affordable internet solutions. By aligning with our county leaders, we reinforce the idea that funding for the Affordable Connectivity Program is not just a financial necessity but a moral imperative—a modern-day equivalent to historic initiatives like the electrification of the country in the 1930s and the establishment of the Interstate Highway system in the 1950s. Let's unite in the pursuit of universal internet access, recognizing its pivotal role in shaping the future of work, education, government services, and healthcare. Together, we can make a difference and ensure that no community is left behind in the digital era. #ConnectivityForAll #DigitalInclusion #Advocacy 🚀🌐

According to the June 4th Benton Institute for Broadband & Society Digital Beat article, Neighbors Providing Service to Neighbors, Vermont's Approach to Community Broadband, "In 2019, The Vermont Department of Public Service found that nearly a quarter of Vermont addresses lacked service that met the then federal benchmarks for broadband speeds...The COVID-19 pandemic only underscored the urgent need in a state that has consistently ranked near the bottom of connectivity comparisons over the past decade." The article continued to explain how Vermont communities organized and innovated, setting a model for the rest of the nation to follow in using Communications Union Districts (CUDs) as a solution. "Through these CUDs, Vermonters in 216 of the state's 252 towns are combining forces to improve broadband access for their communities. It is, as State Representative Laura Sibilia puts it, "neighbors providing service to neighbors." Click the link below to read the full article which details the history of the formation of ECFiber, including mentions of current ECFiber Board Chair F. X. Flinn and former co-founder and CFO Stan Williams, a review of Vermont Act 71, created to accelerate community broadband development, the creation of the Vermont Community Broadband Board as well as other Vermont CUDs - NEK Broadband, DVFiber, and CVFiber. https://lnkd.in/gSzQ9A85 #ECFiber #communitybroadband #CUDs #vermont #broadband

🌐💡 Exciting Update for San Augustine, Texas! 💼📶 We're pioneering a transformative public-private partnership with The San Augustine Public Library, JohnHargroveConsultingLLC, and Evergreen Technology Solutions LLC centered around San Augustine Public Library. This collaborative effort is focused on deploying public WIFI spaces, ensuring our rural community stays connected in the digital age. Our mission: to bridge the digital divide and empower our residents through accessible, high-speed internet. Let's stay connected, San Augustine! #DigitalInclusion #PublicPrivatePartnership #RuralBroadband #CommunityEmpowerment Collaboration among JohnHargroveConsultingLLC, Evergreen Technology Solutions LLC, and the San Augustne Public Library to create a High-Speed Internet backbone. Objective: Establish a public-private partnership-based Digital Hub and Network system, offering complimentary Internet service to public and nonprofit institutions via Evergreen ISP. Focus: Sustain long-term system operation through public-private partnerships to address the rural Digital Divide. Support: Assist community nonprofits with minimal service costs, boosting Digital Literacy and equity. Expansion: Plan for public high-performance WIFI coverage along key highways and select indoor locations.

Broadband funding can be complicated. With so many programs available, many tribes don’t know where to start. So far, five main government funding programs are available to tribes in the United States, plus the NTIA’s Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program. With Calix Broadband Academy, you can access our funding map to see what application rounds are open anytime and learn the four primary federal agencies that can help you navigate funding. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gSTkYSSM #BroadbandAccess #FundingOpportunities #BridgingTheGap

A Call to Action. In today's interconnected world, internet access is no longer a luxury but a vital lifeline. Yet, countless communities remain locked out of this essential resource, hindering their growth and prosperity. While initiatives like the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) have offered a vital lifeline, its future hangs in the balance due to funding shortfalls. The ACP, established to bridge the digital divide by providing subsidies for internet and wireless services, is set to freeze enrollments on February 8th, 2024, unless further funding is secured. This impending shutdown threatens to leave millions, especially those in underserved communities, disconnected and struggling to access crucial resources for education, healthcare, and economic opportunity. Broadband access transcends mere internet use; it fuels community development and paves the way for economic growth. Without the ACP, these benefits remain out of reach for countless individuals and communities, further widening the digital divide.

"Today, 30 years after the advent of the Internet age, the Biden administration and Congress have provided the focus and the funds we need to get every American online. However, we are at risk of squandering this once-in-a-generation opportunity." In Fortune, Larry Irving urges the NTIA to reconsider the Broadband Equity and Deployment (BEAD) program’s letter of credit requirement. His op-ed backs a letter from a coalition of almost 300 broadband experts, ISPs, community advocates, and local leaders warning that the rule “establishes capital barriers too steep for all but the best-funded ISPs”, essentially blocking the vast majority of smaller operators, community-centered providers, and city-owned networks from securing grants. Gigi Sohn, Director of the American Association for Public Broadband explains: “As things stand, BEAD is engineered to shut out the providers most willing and able to build for America’s least connected communities. These are local ISPs, minority and women-owned operators, nonprofits, and municipalities that know these communities and can connect them — but for a lack of capital.” That’s why we’re part of this coalition, calling on Secretary Gina Raimondo and Assistant Secretary Alan Davidson to offer alternatives that will make the program more competitive and live up to its promise to connect the millions of American families still living without the broadband they need. Read the letter and add your name: https://bit.ly/dear-ntia #BEAD #DigitalEquity #Broadband #InternetForAll #GetItDone https://lnkd.in/eiQvDZ_4