The $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill that made it to President Biden’s desk Friday for upgrades to the nation’s roads, bridges, pipes and ports also includes $65 billion to “ensure every American has access to reliable high-speed Internet.” Building high-speed networks in unserved areas and making broadband affordable for low-income families are priorities for an administration in pursuit of digital equity. The White House estimates 30 million U.S. households don’t have access to reliable Internet, a problem heightened by the need to learn and work at home during the COVID-19 pandemic.  Continue reading Federal Infrastructure Plan Includes $65 Billion for Broadband

California passed AB126 to build a statewide, open-access fiber network, with a vote of 78-0 in the California Assembly and 39-0 in the Senate. The fiber network will operate as a “middle mile” network carrying data from Internet backbone networks to urban and rural connection points where local ISPs take it the “last mile” to residences. The network will offer “non-discriminatory access to eligible entities on a technology and competitively neutral basis, regardless of whether the entity is privately or publicly owned.” Continue reading California Opts to Build Statewide Middle-Mile Fiber Network