NRECA Reacts to Biden’s Commitment to Rural Communities
Posted on Apr 30, 2021 in Broadband, Legislative & Politics | Comments Off on NRECA Reacts to Biden’s Commitment to Rural Communities
The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) announced it was encouraged to hear President Biden prioritize the needs of rural America in his address to Congress. Specifically appreciated was his emphasis on the need to modernize rural infrastructure and expand rural broadband access.
NRECA Reacts to Biden Infrastructure Plan
Posted on Apr 23, 2021 in Broadband, Legislative & Politics | Comments Off on NRECA Reacts to Biden Infrastructure Plan
As the Treasury Department writes rules to govern the funds to be dispersed to state and local governments under the American Rescue Plan, the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) is resisting efforts by some large telecommunications companies to place restrictions that it argues would harm regions without adequate broadband access. The Plan includes $219 billion for...
Georgia EMC Partners to Expand Broadband
Posted on Apr 20, 2021 in Broadband | Comments Off on Georgia EMC Partners to Expand Broadband
Washington EMC, a Georgia electric cooperative, will form a new partnership with Conexon Connect to provide high-speed fiber internet to more than 12,000 homes and businesses in 10 middle Georgia counties. Georgia’s Governor Brian Kemp was on site in Washington County, Georgia to make the announcement.
Electric Coop Leaders Convene Virtual Fly-ins
Posted on Apr 19, 2021 in Broadband, Financing, Legislative & Politics | Comments Off on Electric Coop Leaders Convene Virtual Fly-ins
More than 1,500 electric cooperative CEOs and other coop representatives will take coop priorities to Capitol Hill April 19-23 for the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association’s (NRECA) Legislative Conference and congressional visits. The conference and meetings with lawmakers will be conducted virtually. Coop leaders will highlight three priorities during the congressional...
NRECA Expresses Concerns Regarding Expected Timing for Notices of Defaults in the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund Auction
Posted on Apr 8, 2021 in Broadband, Regulation & Policy, Technology | Comments Off on NRECA Expresses Concerns Regarding Expected Timing for Notices of Defaults in the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund Auction
The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) made a request on April 1 to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) urging the FCC to publicly announce defaults by winning bidders in the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund Auction (RDOF), so that unserved rural communities can pursue other public broadband resources. Without timely public notices of such defaults, rural...
VEC and GMP Announce Broadband Deployment Program
Posted on Mar 15, 2021 in Broadband, Innovation/Efficiency, Technology | Comments Off on VEC and GMP Announce Broadband Deployment Program
Vermont Electric Co-op (VEC) and Green Mountain Power (GMP) each launched a Broadband Deployment Program to help rural Vermonters get connected to broadband quickly and cost-effectively. The plans approved Friday by the Vermont Public Utility Commission lower the cost for broadband providers to connect the hardest-to-serve customers by offering up to $2,000 per unserved location for...
NRECA Urges NTIA to Award Grants for Tribal Land Broadband Expansion
Posted on Mar 12, 2021 in Broadband | Comments Off on NRECA Urges NTIA to Award Grants for Tribal Land Broadband Expansion
The National Telecommunications & Information Administration (NTIA) is currently formulating its Tribal Broadband Connectivity Grants Program, which was created by the pandemic relief passed by Congress in December 2020. The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) is recommending that NTIA implement the Program with flexibility and efficiency, offering grants to...
NRECA Asks Federal Agency for Rural-Friendly Broadband Grants Rules
Posted on Feb 22, 2021 in Broadband | Comments Off on NRECA Asks Federal Agency for Rural-Friendly Broadband Grants Rules
The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) recently sent a letter to the National Telecommunications & Information Administration (NTIA) arguing that broadband grants worth $300 million should only go toward proven technologies, and some rural areas should remain eligible for this funding even if they have won awards in other specific federal efforts to bridge the...
Maryland Electric Cooperative Launches Broadband Subsidiary
Posted on Feb 19, 2021 in Broadband | Comments Off on Maryland Electric Cooperative Launches Broadband Subsidiary
After much debate over removing Choptank Electric Cooperative (Choptank) from the oversight of the Maryland Public Service Commission, Choptank has launched Choptank Fiber, a wholly-owned broadband subsidiary. Choptank Fiber will take a community-by-community approach to installing broadband, using the monthly subscription revenue of established communities to invest in the development...
Coops, Wireless and Partnerships Likeliest Ways to Connect Rural America
Posted on Feb 12, 2021 in Broadband | Comments Off on Coops, Wireless and Partnerships Likeliest Ways to Connect Rural America
A recent report produced by the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond shows that coops, wireless and partnerships are the best ways to bring broadband to rural America. The biggest challenges to the cooperative approach are ambiguous laws regarding broadband provision by coops.
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