ARP: Boosting Maryland’s Office of Statewide Broadband

Maryland established the Office of Statewide Broadband in 2021, thanks to legislation championed by then-Delegate Brooke Lierman. With a major boost from American Rescue Plan funds, the office assists local governments by making resources available to help cities reach those still unconnected or struggling with poor connectivity. For example, the office offers grants between $50,000 and $10 million to local jurisdictions to extend existing broadband service to unserved areas. The state office defines what is considered high speed but allows local governments to determine how they want to expand their network. Local governments can pursue partnerships with local providers or build their own network with fiber cables, hotspots for a mesh network, or other solutions.

ARP: Brownsville TX, Closing the Digital Divide

Soon after he was elected, Mendez made closing the digital divide one of his top priorities. Before the American Rescue Plan passed, he had already collected information on where the city needed to invest in infrastructure, and had a plan for long-term solutions like a fiber-optic network rather than hotspots.

In 2021, Brownsville allocated nearly $20 million of ARP funds for its Middle Mile Broadband Initiative. The program will build out 95 miles of infrastructure to bring high-speed internet to homes throughout underserved areas of Brownsville. As the NewDEAL Forum noted in its report about broadband, these investments “add bandwidth and resiliency to existing networks, reduce costs to consumers, and help cities develop the infrastructure needed for last-mile projects.”

The initiative should be completed in 2023, and could turn a profit as soon as five years after completion. But profit is not the primary goal. “[T]his initiative will ensure that the City of Brownsville stays connected in today’s globalized economy,” Mendez told Texas Border Business in July 2021.

Update

In July, Mayor Trey Mendez signed an agreement kicking-off a public-private partnership to extend high-quality, affordable broadband to homes and businesses. Mendez will commit $20 million in federal American Rescue Plan funding focused on middle mile fiber lines, and the private entity will cover last mile construction as well as maintenance costs. Named one of the least connected cities in the United States in 2018 and 2019, Mendez believes that the city’s new broadband initiative will help existing small businesses grow and bring new businesses to Brownsville. “During the pandemic we saw just how important internet was, and it made the situation even more critical,” Mendez said. “I’m happy to say we’re moving forward with a full broadband plan that’s going to connect all of our communities, provide accessibility and affordability for residents and businesses here in the city of Brownsville,” he said.

ARP: Phoenix AZ, Connects 250,000 Families to High Speed Internet

Using a combination of city and federal funds, including funding from the American Rescue Plan, Phoenix launched an initiative to connect 250,000 families to high-speed internet. 

The Phoenix Digital Education Connection Canopy, or PHX DECC, launched on September 1, 2021. Alhambra Elementary, Cartwright Elementary and Phoenix Union High School are the first schools to benefit from the program, according to KJZZ. The innovative wireless solution uses existing technology, rather than reinventing the wheel, to enable schools to provide internet to some of Phoenix’s underserved communities. 

“Children will no longer need to sit in library parking lots or coffee shops to access high-speed broadband to do their homework,” Councilmember Laura Pastor said in a statement. Mayor Kate Gallego called PHX DECC a “cost-effective, collaborative, digital divide solution we’re proud to champion.”

The city also worked to bringing highs-speed to help small businesses. The city is offering grants ranging from $3,000 to $10,000 to businesses that have been hit hardest by the pandemic. As of December 2021, 115 such grants had been awarded.

Middle Mile Broadband Initiative Advances

Brownsville Mayor Trey Mendez campaigned on making broadband more “accessible and affordable” for his constituency, and he is delivering, with his city’s commission approving a public-private partnership to construct a fiber network in the latest step in his Middle Mile Broadband Initiative. Brownsville, which ranked as one of the least connected communities in 2018 and 2019, is now on the edge of a broadband breakthrough. The project will create a 93-mile long  “middle-mile backbone” that will connect “32 anchor institutions” like fire stations, police stations, and medical centers, helping to increase the overall quality of life within the city. The Initiative will use $19.5 million in American Rescue Plan funds to expand the city’s online infrastructure. To learn more about digital-equity pioneers like Mayor Mendez and their exciting broadband initiatives, see the NewDEAL Forum Broadband Task Force’s report, Bridging the Digital Divide, or check out how Mendez and others are using ARP funding in innovative ways in the NewDEAL report The American Rescue Plan – One Year Later.

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#OaklandUndivided

Problem:

The lack of broadband access disproportionately impacts individuals and families of color and those whose incomes are below the federal poverty threshold. According to existing research, just 71% of Black and 65% of Hispanic adults have home broadband compared to 80% of white adults. The lack of internet access can negatively impact health outcomes, employment opportunities, and education attainment.

Solution:

Under the leadership of Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf, #OaklandUndivided, the city’s initiative to connect every student, partnered with Education SuperHighway to successfully pilot a replicable model of providing free WiFi to disconnected students and tenants in five subsidized low-income apartment buildings. The initiative involves installing and maintaining a single WiFi network for the entire building, similarly to a hotel, at a low monthly cost for the landlord and no cost to the residents. Additionally, this effort led to the creation of broadband adoption centers to provide one-on-one support and enrollment assistance programs to help residents sign up for the apartment WiFi and other available resources. The program has successfully connected 96% of Black students and 97% of Latinx students in the Oakland Unified School District.

2021 Ideas Challenge Finalists

The NewDEAL is pleased to announce the finalists from this year’s Ideas Challenge, our biennial policy competition highlighting innovative policy solutions from NewDEAL Leaders across the nation. Their ideas would reimagine the social safety net, create good jobs, expand education opportunities, build more sustainable communities, and strengthen our democracy. This year’s Challenge came at an especially important time to identify best practices, as Leaders grapple with the work of rebuilding and recovery in the wake of the pandemic, and have a unique opportunity to act with federal funds from the American Rescue Plan. Winners in each of five categories will be announced next week during our 11th Annual Leaders Conference, on Thursday, November 18, and be featured in Governing Magazine. Join us on social media to celebrate these extraordinary ideas, and click here to read details on the finalists in all five categories!

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Digital Connectivity for All

Problem

While in the past lack of access to broadband internet may have merely been an inconvenience, it is now a public emergency. Since the onset of the pandemic, Marylanders have had no choice but to rely on access to the internet in order to access critical services, like healthcare, education, public benefits, and work/ business.

In 2017, the Governor sought to address the issue of connectivity through the creation of the Rural Broadband Office by Executive Order. This office has done important work, but there is so much more to be done. The problem in Maryland is greater than a lack of rural access. Our most populous cities experience similar gaps in access, affordability, adoption, and digital literacy. On several metrics, such as broadband upload/download speeds, the situation is worse in our urban areas. (Ex: 41% of Baltimore city residents do not subscribe to the internet and 31% do not own a desktop or laptop).

 

Solution

The creation of the Office of Statewide Broadband (OSB) to expand on the work of the Office of Rural Broadband. It’s purpose is to address the causes of inequitable access – which range from lack of infrastructure to cost – and ensure that every Marylander can be connected to high-quality, high-speed, affordable, internet by 2026.

This office will also be charged with forming partnerships with local jurisdictions, state agencies, our library system, and the private sector to expand digital literacy and broadband across the state. The OSB will ensure that the state has a coordinated response to RFPs issued by the FCC or Federal Government for resources/ grants. OSB will also develop definitions and standards for broadband internet; addressing fair and equal pricing standards; auditing availability, reliability, and affordability of broadband; and collecting and analyzing pertinent data on geographic, economic, and demographic factors.

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Innovative Statewide Broadband Infrastructure Legislation

Problem

 According to the North Carolina Department of Information Technology, approximately 1.1 million North Carolina residents lack access to high-speed internet. This digital divide remains most prevalent in rural parts of our state, the result of cost, device inadequacy, and lack of digital literacy. In a digital age and the global pandemic, broadband access has become an issue of both equity and access.

 

Solution

The Innovative State Broadband Infrastructure bill (Senate Bill 517) would (1) appropriate money to the Department of Information Technology to prepare a statewide broadband maps; (2) relax regulatory burdens to expedite broadband expansion; (3) allow use of existing easements for broadband expansion; (4) expand distribution of state surplus computers and computer hardware for nonprofits; (5) expand funding for our state’s G.R.E.A.T. Program (which provides grants for the extension of high-speed internet to rural parts of the state), and (6) provide stopgap internet access for classroom access, healthcare, and job creation.

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SLC Digital Equity

Problem

The pandemic brought to light the importance of broadband access to essential daily tasks. This was especially the case as schools were forced to go virtual and families struggled to navigate online education for the first time. Salt Lake City students from low-income families, many of whom lack quality broadband access, a computer or both, were the most impacted as traditional community resources such as libraries and public access computer labs were also forced to close due to the pandemic. A recent study by Michigan State University found that students who do not have access to the Internet from home or rely solely on cellular data perform lower on a range of metrics, including homework completion and grade point average (half a letter grade lower). Bridging this technology gap will increase digital literacy and improve student achievements in Salt Lake City. 

 

Solution

The Digital Equity Policy of Salt Lake City was adopted on September 1, 2020 to address the imbalances related to digital equity. Two of the policy’s targeted action items called for increasing access to affordable broadband services and reliable devices. Salt Lake City is doing this through a program known as City Connect which activates public wifi hotspots in community centers and parks throughout the City and provides surplus computers to low-income students and families. Additionally, through a public-private partnership with Comcast “Lift Zones”, Salt Lake City is able to bring high quality broadband service to our community learning centers and facilities supporting our Youth and Family programs.

Expanding Broadband Access in Maryland

Recently, NewDEAL Leader Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson joined other Democratic leaders and the state’s Governor to announce a new Connect Maryland initiative to boost broadband access, using $300 million in American Rescue Plan funds, supplemented with $100 million in state funding. Spending priorities will be set by a bipartisan workgroup of the city, county, and state elected officials. The new initiative aims to achieve the 98% connectivity goal set by legislation sponsored by NewDEAL Leader Delegate Brooke Lierman, which also created a statewide broadband office to develop a plan for the expansion. Read more on how Maryland NewDEALers are working to ensure everyone in their state can get connected, and keep an eye on the NewDEAL Forum Broadband Task Force for continued work on policy guidance to achieve connectivity across the nation.