In Idaho, Utah and Wyoming, less than 8% of qualifying households had taken advantage of a federal broadband subsidy. But an expansion in eligibility may mean an uptick in uptake.
Many people in rural areas couldn't migrate their lives online when the pandemic hit because they lacked fast internet. Tribes in Alaska are now using new federal funding to install broadband.
The research shows that across 152 counties, 38% of Black residents in the rural South have no home internet access, compared to 23% of white residents.
Vice President Harris is leading the White House push on a $100 billion broadband plan — an assignment that could burnish her deal-making bona fides, but also comes with some political risks.
Sacramento, Calif., is one of the first U.S. cities to have 5G wireless service, and its mayor sees 5G giving the city an edge in attracting businesses and autonomous-vehicle technology.
For the first time in years, Delta County in western Colorado is experiencing population growth, one indicator that rural Americans are increasingly feeling optimistic about their economic future.
The city will provide broadband as a utility, building out its own infrastructure. An expensive ad campaign failed to sway either voters or the City Council on the issue.
In rural America, 23.4 million people do not have high-speed Internet. Microsoft plans to change that, in an effort that uses cheap technology and appeals to the lowest common denominator in politics.
Google says it will honor its existing commitments to support or deploy gigabit-speed Internet. But it's scaling back the work on fiber optics to focus on "new technology and deployment methods."
The president is asking the agency to address state laws that could inhibit competition for high-speed Internet service. The move could draw opposition from major cable and Internet companies.
