The strategic plan for the Alabama Digital Expansion Division is designed to help the state achieve its broadband goals, including facilitating broadband expansion, particularly in rural, underserved, and unserved areas; addressing obstacles to broadband adoption; and developing funding strategies for deployment.

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An interview with Coalition for Local Internet Choice president Jim Baller about the strategies used to navigate the myriad legal and regulatory barriers involved with broadband expansion projects. Baller discusses what localities need to know to benefit from federal funding programs, engage in public-private partnerships, and avoid costly and disruptive mistakes in the early stages.

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The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act offers enhancements to the Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program so that it can better aid in the delivery of broadband to some of the areas with the worst connectivity in the country. Some of these enhancements include time extensions for grantees, more flexibility, and an extra $2 billion in funding.

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This essay from the 2021 State of Black America report makes the case for using telehealth to eliminate barriers to quality care faced by communities of color, rural communities, and communities below the poverty line. Rep. Kelly argues for telehealth policies that benefit all communities.

This paper uses data from Form 477 and the Census of Agriculture to measure how broadband connections affect the production and sales of agricultural products. The author found that farms that had faster speeds of connectivity had greater crop yields and fewer operating expenses.

In this commentary, Rachel Hirsch and Jake Varn argue that the aftermath of the COVID19 pandemic has made clear how vital postsecondary education is in helping people achieve and maintain financial stability, therefore postsecondary institutions have a critical role in expanding affordable broadband access and closing the digital divide.

This 2020 State Broadband Office report from Washington defines the 2024-2028 state broadband goals of high speed access for all by 2024 and 150/150 Mbps symmetrical speeds by 2028 and makes recommendations for how to meet these goals. It also provides an overview of the current state of broadband in Washington and provides examples of successful past initiatives.

The Commonwealth Connect Plan, published in 2020 by the State of Virginia, explains how the State will work with local governments to identify gaps in coverage and develop plans to fill those gaps. It discusses current broadband availability in the State, non-state and local actors, initiatives undertaken by other states to increase broadband availability, what Virginia is currently doing, and recommendations for policies that would improve these efforts.

This resource announces the $20 million investment into DigitalC from Project OVERCOME, the National Science Foundation, and Schmidt Futures. DigitalC provides some of the highest wireless bandwidths to homes in Greater Cleveland’s unserved and underserved areas, along with training and access to devices. The grant will help expand capacity to provide access and accelerate adoption of broadband connectivity infrastructure throughout the city.

A report from May 2013 that presents an overview of successful practices used by state Departments of Transportation to facilitate broadband deployment along highway rights of way. It identifies wireline broadband deployment approaches and recommends state incentives for usage of conduit and rights of way, resource sharing to reduce deployment time, and dig once policies.

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This 2020 report on the status of broadband in Texas details many challenges to connectivity in rural and unserved areas of the state, highlighting that Texas is one of only six states that does not have a statewide broadband plan. It argues that COVID-19 has underscored the need for a plan to increase broadband connectivity.

This resource examines state broadband programs nationwide, identifying nine states engaging in what it identifies as promising practices such as stakeholder outreach, planning and capacity building, and program evaluation and evolution.

This report summarizes Oklahoma's objectives and highlights activities to enhance broadband access and adoption, specifically in areas identified as unserved and underserved. The chief initiatives are to enhance mapping of unserved areas, assist with local broadband planning, and develop programs to incentivize broadband coverage.