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Decatur County Electric Cooperative Leads Charge as Indiana's BEAD Rollout Begins

sean — Tue, 11 Aug 2026 14:37:15 +0000

Decatur County Electric Cooperative Leads Charge as Indiana's BEAD Rollout Begins

sean Tue Aug 11, 2026

Tue Aug 11, 2026

Indiana Cooperatives are once again at the front of the pack as the state prepares to dramatically expand affordable fiber access on the back of $483 million in Broadband, Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) broadband grants. The first round of bead funding is expected to connect an estimated 123,000 Indiana households and businesses that currently have either substandard Internet access, or no access at all.

California Greenlights Another $74 Million for Rural Internet Access

sean — Mon, 03 Aug 2026 16:48:41 +0000

California Greenlights Another $74 Million for Rural Internet Access

Karl Bode

sean Mon Aug 3, 2026

Mon Aug 3, 2026

The California Public Utilities Commission says it has approved another $74 million in California Advanced Services Fund grants to expand affordable high-speed Internet infrastructure to underserved communities across the Golden State. According to the CPUC’s recent announcement, the funding will support six new Internet access infrastructure projects across Marin, Monterey, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, and Sonoma counties, bringing reliable, high-speed Internet service to nearly 1,800 previously completely unserved homes and businesses.

Oregon Picks New BEAD Winners After Four Bidders Retreat

sean — Mon, 27 Jul 2026 14:21:43 +0000

Oregon Picks New BEAD Winners After Four Bidders Retreat

Karl Bode

sean Mon Jul 27, 2026

Mon Jul 27, 2026

The Oregon Broadband Office has announced the preliminary awardees selected to assume BEAD projects that were voluntarily declined by their original awardees. The new awardees include a municipal broadband provider and an electric cooperative. According to an OBO announcement, four of the state’s original BEAD awardees declined a total of 15 projects prior to the state’s June 10 Notice of Intent to Award acceptance deadline.

Broadband Communities Names Its 2026 Provider of the Year Shortlist — and It's Not the Usual Suspects

sean — Wed, 22 Jul 2026 19:55:40 +0000

Broadband Communities Names Its 2026 Provider of the Year Shortlist — and It's Not the Usual Suspects

Sean Gonsalves

sean Wed Jul 22, 2026

Wed Jul 22, 2026

Eight community and independently-owned networks are in the running for this year’s Broadband Provider of the Year Award. The winners will be revealed live during a special awards ceremony at the end of Day 1 at this year’s summit, which will be held on August 26 at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, Texas.

Indiana Awards $250,000 In New Internet Access Grants

sean — Mon, 20 Jul 2026 15:09:06 +0000

Indiana Awards $250,000 In New Internet Access Grants

Karl Bode

sean Mon Jul 20, 2026

Mon Jul 20, 2026

While the grant amounts are relatively small, they’re a big deal to the small independent providers and member-owned cooperatives who received them. The grant awards have been made possible by the 2021 American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), featuring $250,749 in new Internet access grants that will connect 63 new locations across 21 counties in The Hoosier State.

IN OUR VIEW: Statement on Federal Court Decision to Reinstate Digital Equity Act Grant Funding

sean — Thu, 16 Jul 2026 20:20:29 +0000

IN OUR VIEW: Statement on Federal Court Decision to Reinstate Digital Equity Act Grant Funding

Sean Gonsalves

sean Thu Jul 16, 2026

Thu Jul 16, 2026

Christopher Mitchell, Director of the Community Broadband Networks initiative at the Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR), issues statement in response to yesterday’s federal court ruling that Digital Equity Act programs should resume.

AT&T vs California: The Life-and-Death Battle Over Landline Service

sean — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 14:48:08 +0000

AT&T vs California: The Life-and-Death Battle Over Landline Service

Karl Bode

sean Wed Jul 15, 2026

Wed Jul 15, 2026

California residents are engaged in a protracted, ugly battle with telecom giant AT&T over their ability to receive life-saving communications during an emergency. The battle comes as the telecom monopoly attempts to eliminate most meaningful oversight of the company’s communications networks, actively putting human lives – and state rights – at risk.

California Greenlights Another $18.2 Million For Affordable Broadband

sean — Mon, 13 Jul 2026 15:40:36 +0000

California Greenlights Another $18.2 Million For Affordable Broadband

Karl Bode

sean Mon Jul 13, 2026

Mon Jul 13, 2026

California and the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) continue to heavily invest in state efforts to expand affordable Internet access, and bolster digital equity, inclusion, and education programs to ensure freshly-connected communities are able to make the most of it. According to a new announcement by the CPUC, the agency has freshly approved $14.7 million in California Advanced Services Fund (CASF) Broadband Infrastructure Grant Account funding for four fiber-optic broadband projects in rural Northern California.

Rural Cooperatives Frustrated With NTIA BEAD Changes

sean — Mon, 06 Jul 2026 16:26:47 +0000

Rural Cooperatives Frustrated With NTIA BEAD Changes

Karl Bode

sean Mon Jul 6, 2026

Mon Jul 6, 2026

Earlier this month rural electric and broadband cooperatives gathered in Washington, DC, for their fifth-annual Broadband Leadership Summit. The topic du jour was broadly unpopular changes made by the NTIA to the Broadband, Equity, Deployment, and Access program (BEAD) created by the 2021 infrastructure bill. Cooperatives attending the event expressed concerns at a number of cumbersome new bureaucratic hurdles imposed by the NTIA. Most prominently discussed was the NTIA’s decision to impose new pole attachment regulations on cooperatives that have historically been exempt.

Beyond the Fiber: Vermont's Community Network Model Aims to Improve Lives One Hub at a Time

sean — Wed, 01 Jul 2026 19:14:56 +0000

Beyond the Fiber: Vermont's Community Network Model Aims to Improve Lives One Hub at a Time

Sean Gonsalves

sean Wed Jul 1, 2026

Wed Jul 1, 2026

New Community Technology Center expands digital access, remote work, telehealth, education, and high-speed Internet opportunities in rural Vermont. The initiative, funded on the back on a $2.9 million USDA Community Connect Grant, includes 2 gig symmetrical fiber connectivity to five different hubs: one in the town clerk’s office, one in the town garage, fire department, with the fifth hub located inside the Ryegate Library, in the town neighboring Groton.