Fast, affordable Internet access for all.
Top Stories
Latest Stories
On State Scoop podcast: New Mexico's Timely Broadband Subsidy Program
ILSR's Christopher Mitchell talks to State Scoop about the far reaching significance of a new affordable Internet law passed in New Mexico and how state's can take the lead in the absence of federal action. Senate Bill 152 – first filed on January 26 of this year by State Sen. Michael Padilla, (D) Majority Whip – will update the state’s Rural Telecommunications Act and empower the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission (PRC) to offer up to $30/month for qualified households to pay for Internet service.
Updated Resource: Community Networks Continue to Win Big in California's Infrastructure Grant Program
Last May, we shared a dashboard we built to track how community networks were doing in California's Last-Mile Federal Funding Account broadband grant program. With a new round of winners recently announced, we've updated our dashboards to show who, where, and how much community networks are getting.
Broadband 'Nutrition Labels': Easily Missed, Never Seriously Enforced
In late 2024 the Biden FCC implemented a new rule requiring that broadband providers include a “nutrition label for broadband", but a lack of enforcement made their impact lukewarm, and now the new FCC is looking to water down their effectiveness even more.
Opportunity: Apply to Be a Leading Edge Fellow to Advance Social Justice
Another round of two-year ACLS fellowships has opened up that aims to take those with degrees in sociology, literature, political science, geography, history, and similar fields and place them with social justice-oriented nonprofits around the United States.
Bergen County, New Jersey Quickly Expanding Municipal Fiber Footprint
Bergen County, New Jersey officials say they’re making significant progress on their plan to dramatically expand Bergen County Fiber – the county’s new municipal fiber Institutional Network (I-Net) – with recently completed deployments in communities like Little Ferry and Lodi.
Chittenden County CUD Continues Affordable Fiber Expansion In Vermont
Chittenden County Communication Union District recently completed a planned fiber extension into the heavily rural communities of Essex Town, Essex Junction, Jericho, Shelburne, Westford, and Williston. The deployment was completed in partnership with Fidium Fiber, which says the expansion brought fiber optic connectivity to more than 1,900 homes and businesses across the six towns for the first time ever.
Illinois Bill Seeks Broadband Price Caps for Low-Income Customers
lllinois State Sen. Rachel Ventura, D-Joliet, has introduced legislation directing regulators to set broadband price protections for low-income residents, though the bill text leaves key details to be determined later. The measure joins those in other states, including Connecticut, Maryland, and Minnesota, that have introduced measures aimed at capping broadband prices for qualifying households.
With ACP Gone, New Mexico Creates First State-Level Internet Affordability Program
New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed into law today new legislation that aims to provide tens of thousands of low-income households in “The Land of Enchantment” an Internet lifeline similar to the now-expired federal Affordable Connectivity Program. It makes the state the first to step up in the absence of federal action to support households that just can’t afford to pay for monthly service, and will directly support 173,000 households, offering up to a $30/month for qualified households to pay for Internet service.
Bois Forte Band Begins Construction on $20 Million Tribal Fiber Project
The Bois Forte Band of Chippewa (also referred to as Ojibwe) has officially begun construction on a foundational fiber optic broadband expansion project in northern Minnesota. The ambitious undertaking is supported by a significant $20 million grant awarded under the 2021 Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program, marking a major step forward in modernizing infrastructure for the sovereign nation.
Our Community Network Map Now Shows Tribal Networks Across the United States
We've been adding features and functionality to our brand new community network map to show in more detail where and what publicly owned networks are building around the United States. Today, we take a big step: adding Tribal networks serving their communities to the map.
NTIA Signals It Will Follow Law on Non-Deployment Funds, But Wants More Ideas
Close to a 1,000 broadband-minded registrants attended yesterday’s NTIA listening session, surfacing suggestions on how to spend “non-deployment” funds. Given how many advocates attended yesterday’s listening session, NTIA officials agreed to hold yet another listening session next Wednesday, February 18.
Lehi, Utah Finishes Open Access Fiber Network
Lehi, Utah and its partner Strata Networks say they’ve completed construction of Lehi Fiber, the city-owned, open access fiber network that’s dramatically reshaped broadband affordability and competition in the city of 80,000. Locals now have the options of multiple tiers of service across the five different Internet Service Providers.