Broadband infrastructure is now fully funded in Maryland's Cecil, Talbot, Dorchester, Somerset and Worcester counties, "a major milestone in the state's effort to close the digital divide," its Department of Housing and Community Development said Thursday. The agency said $77 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding will provide connectivity for 16,208 households, giving the five counties 100% availability. To date, 99.5% of Maryland is connected or has been awarded funding for internet connectivity, it added.
The New Jersey Office of Emergency Management would establish a hyperlocal text alert system for flood and severe weather conditions under legislation (AB-5993) introduced this week by Assemblyman Christopher Tully (D). The text alerts would integrate real-time reports from localities, flood sensors, river height monitors, localized emergency warning systems, the National Weather Service and the Federal Emergency Management System, among other data sources. Those who opt in would receive information on rainfall levels, local river levels, water level rise, storm surge, reported flood damage and the location and severity of floods exceeding 1 foot of water. The bill was referred to the Assembly Science, Innovation and Technology Committee.
Florida state Rep. Jeff Holcomb (R) on Tuesday introduced HB-451, which extends the medical benefits of first responders to 911 public safety telecommunicators, including coverage of mental health issues arising out of employment. The bill would take effect July 1.
Nuvera Communications said last week that it had reached a milestone of 50,000 fiber passings in its Minnesota and Iowa footprint. Its $200 million fiber rollout was announced in 2021. More than 65% of the company's residential and business customers are now connected to that fiber network, it said.
The National Association of Utility Consumer Advocates, the Utility Reform Network and other state interests protested FCC proposals to speed copper retirements and other network changes (see 2510010031) in reply comments posted Friday in docket 25-208. Also signing the filing were state regulators in Colorado, Connecticut, Maryland and Oregon.
Only about 10% of the locations being passed through projects funded by New York's Municipal Infrastructure Program are unserved or underserved, meaning the state is financing overbuilding almost 90% of the time, according to an analysis from the New York Law School's Advanced Communications Law and Policy Institute. In a blog post Thursday, ACLP Director Michael Santorelli and Senior Fellow Alex Karras said that kind of overbuilding diverts funds from the 61,000 remaining unserved and underserved locations in the state.
A New Jersey Senate committee voted Thursday to advance a bill that would create a telecommunications fee to fund call center and mental health services connected with 988 calls. SB-4502 would add a 40-cent 988 fee to monthly customer bills for commercial mobile service and IP-enabled voice calls but wouldn’t apply to Lifeline customers. The money would be used to fund 988 call services, crisis outreach and response services related to 988 calls, and a public awareness campaign.
A national infrastructure bank could help fund U.S. broadband deployments, new rail and mass transit projects, and repairs of bridges, roads and schools, according to a Michigan House resolution introduced this week by 19 Democratic state lawmakers. HR-216 urges congressional support for the National Infrastructure Bank Act (HR-5356), which would create a public bank that would provide loans for infrastructure projects.
Massachusetts state Rep. Hadley Luddy (D) and Orleans, Massachusetts, Fire Chief Geof Deering urged lawmakers Thursday to support HB-3974, which sets a Jan. 1, 2030, deadline for universal mobile coverage in the state. Cape Cod's unreliable cell service is an issue "I hear about constantly" from district residents, Luddy said as she presented the bill at a Joint Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy Committee hearing. She said the problem worsens in the summer, when Cape Cod's population doubles.
AT&T and Boldyn Networks announced this week the launch of 5G service in the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s Crosstown G train line segments, the first to do so. AT&T customers traveling on the G line between Court Square station in Long Island City, Queens, and the Bedford-Nostrand Avenue station in Brooklyn “can now enjoy cellular service in tunnels,” the companies said.