‘Come see our controlled chaos’

How the Boys & Girls Clubs of Permian Basin is changing lives and communities through critical programs and access to technology by Jessica Denson, Communications Director Connected Nation Midland, TX (December 19, 2019) – Yovanna Garza is an energetic, talkative 11-year-old. She’s in the fifth grade at Henderson Elementary School in Midland, Texas, and has been going to the Taylor …

Connected Nation’s Director of Digital Inclusion Named to FCC Advisory Committee on Diversity and Digital Empowerment

Washington, DC (October 17, 2019) – The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced in June that the Advisory Committee on Diversity and Digital Empowerment (ACDDE) would be re-chartered. For the second time, Heather Gate, Director of Digital Inclusion, Connected Nation, has just been named to serve on the committee. “I was happy to learn that FCC Chairman Ajit Pai decided to …

FCC to hold big 5G auction, spend $20B for rural internet

Published by AP News on April 12th, 2019 By Tali Arbel NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. government will hold a massive auction to bolster 5G service , the next generation of mobile networks, and plans to spend $20 billion to expand broadband access in rural areas. 5G will mean faster wireless speeds and has implications for technologies like self-driving …

Ivey to headline Alabama Summit on Rural Technology

Published by The West Alabama Watchman on March 25, 2019 LIVINGSTON, Ala.—The University of West Alabama has joined with AT&T to announce the second annual Alabama Summit on Rural Technology, set for April 12 on the UWA campus in Livingston, with Governor Kay Ivey delivering the keynote address. The event features a broad slate of experts who bring unique perspectives to …

Bill to use coops to expand broadband

Published by The DailyAdvance.com By Jon Hawley  Area lawmakers are backing new legislation that would help electric cooperatives offer broadband internet. Rep. Howard Hunter III, D-Hertford, is a primary sponsor of House Bill 387, which was introduced Tuesday and would remove restrictions on electric membership corporations supporting or providing broadband internet. Other primary sponsors include Republican House Reps. Dean Arp, John …

People to Know in Nonprofits: Ashley Hitt

Published by Louisville Business First on March 15, 2019 By Kevin McGloshen Ashley Littell Hitt, director, GIS services, Connected Nation Years in current job: 12 Years in the nonprofit field: 15 What is the greatest need of your nonprofit organization? Likely similar to other nonprofits — funding. Most nonprofits typically have to do more with less than ideal resources, whether …

Despite Bipartisan Support, Accurate Broadband Data is Still Lacking

Bowling Green, KY. (March 14, 2019) – Perhaps one of the most bipartisan issues in today’s otherwise highly divisive Congress is the belief that our nation’s broadband maps are unreliable and need to be fixed. Last year, Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS) and Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-NH) led a group of fellow Republicans and Democrats in writing a letter to the FCC …

Broadband Bill Kicked Off Season

Published by Valdosta Daily Times on March 13, 2019 A broadband bill kicked off the legislative session. • HB 23 allows EMCs to provide broadband services, while prohibiting the cross-subsidization of the EMCs broadband services and its natural gas or electricity services. • It also prohibits EMCs disconnecting a user’s gas or electric service for their failure to pay for …

The System Critical in the Expansion of Broadband Infrastructure Across the Nation

Bowling Green, KY (March 11, 2019) – As the globe gets increasingly connected with broadband technology and more and more people realize the benefits that come with it, it seems apt to detail a key system helping to bring about that expansion.  It’s a system that works behind-the-scenes in many ways to drive decisions across essentially every industry where a geospatial, …

Zanesville to add fast ’net downtown

Published by The Columbus Dispatch on March 11, 2019 By Sheridan Hendrix  ZANESVILLE — When Jay Bennett returned to Zanesville in 2014 to take over as the city’s public-service director, he found an external hard drive sitting on his new desk. None of the office’s computers was connected to a shared network, so the hard drive was used to back …