Connected Nation congratulates Alan Davidson on his Senate confirmation as Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information & NTIA Administrator

Published on: January 12, 2022

Washington, DC (January 12, 2022) – Tom Ferree, Chairman & CEO of Connected Nation, issued the following statement congratulating Alan Davidson on his confirmation by the United States Senate as Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information & Administrator of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA):  “We are on the precipice of an unprecedented opportunity to close the …

New data: Connect K-12 report shows 59% of U.S. school districts now meet FCC internet connectivity benchmark

Published on: January 10, 2022

27.6 million students attend schools that still lack adequate bandwidth to support digital learning in every classroom, every day Washington, D.C. (January 10, 2022) – Connected Nation’s “Connect K-12” program has released its report on U.S. school connectivity for E-rate Funding Year 2021, which includes findings on the nation’s progress toward meeting the Federal Communication Commission’s (FCC) bandwidth goal of …

FCC LAUNCHES AFFORDABLE CONNECTIVITY PROGRAM

Published on: January 3, 2022

The following press release was issued by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on Friday, December 31 Emergency Broadband Benefit Program Transitions to New Affordable Connectivity Program WASHINGTON, December 31, 2021—In accordance with Congressional directives in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the Federal Communications Commission today officially launched the Affordable Connectivity Program, the $14.2 billion successor program to the Emergency …

Department of Commerce’s NTIA Publishes First ACCESS BROADBAND Report

Published on: December 27, 2021

The following press release was issued by the NTIA on Thursday, December 23 News Media Contact: NTIA, Office of Public Affairs, (202) 482-7002, press@ntia.gov WASHINGTON – The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) recently released the first ACCESS BROADBAND Report, which highlights the accomplishments of NTIA’s recently established Office of Internet Connectivity and Growth (OICG) over the past year. …

NTIA Awards Additional $1M in Grants to Tribal Groups Seeking to Expand Broadband

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The following press release was issued by NTIA on Wednesday, December 22 News Media Contact: NTIA, Office of Public Affairs, (202) 482-7002, press@ntia.gov WASHINGTON – The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) announced today it has awarded two additional grants as part of the Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program. These grants, totaling nearly $1 million, are being awarded to …

FCC Commits Nearly $603M in Additional Emergency Connectivity Funding

Published on: December 21, 2021

The following press release was published by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on Monday, December 20, 2021. Latest Wave Provides Support to Applications From Both Funding Windows WASHINGTON, December 20, 2021 — The Federal Communications Commission today announced that it is committing $602,985,895.13 in its latest wave of Emergency Connectivity Fund program support, which will connect over 1.4 million students …

Weather, terrain, national parks: Silver Star Internet tackles some of the most challenging areas to connect in the country

Published on: December 20, 2021

“It’s not for the faint of heart.” Freedom, Wyoming (December 20, 2021) – Silver Star Internet is no stranger to challenge — local residents had to build it from the ground up.  “The company was a rural telco started by farmers and ranchers in the area back in 1912,” said Paul Petersen, COO. “They named it Silver Star Telephone Co.” …

Connected Nation names four honorees to share the 2021 National Broadband Visionary Award

Published on: December 13, 2021

Bowling Green, Kentucky (December 13, 2021) – Connected Nation (CN) is honoring four organizations with the 2021 Broadband Visionary Award — KGW-TV in Portland, Oregon; Fort Bend Independent School District in Sugar Land, Texas; and, jointly, RFD-TV and the American Farm Bureau Federation in Washington, D.C. This prestigious national award recognizes those who demonstrate exceptional and innovative leadership in the …

This holiday season, let’s sound the alarm on broadband access for all

Published on: December 9, 2021

While the pandemic drove some much-needed progress, 42 million Americans are still stuck in the Digital Divide Louisville, Kentucky (December 9, 2021) – One of my favorite holiday memories involves an alarm clock. Not just any alarm clock — an ugly, grey metal clock that you had to wind to set. It made this awful, and sometimes frightening ding, ding, …

My ‘kind’ of internet: what second graders can teach us all about empathy while online

Published on: December 8, 2021

“This is a global problem, and it’s important for our kids to understand that they are global citizens.” Fond du Lac, Wisconsin and Zaječar, Serbia (December 8, 2021) – It’s no secret that using the internet comes with great responsibility. What we do, say, or how we treat each other online should reflect how we conduct ourselves in our daily …