Aug 21

FCC report says 19 million Americans still without broadband access

Posted in: Today's Chili

FCC's Broadband

The FCC believes that 19 million Americans don’t have access to broadband, defined as internet access at a speed of 4 megabits per second or more. Understandably, rural areas are the worst hit, with 14.5 million out in the sticks without access, with areas like West Virginia lacking coverage for 45.9 percent of its population. It’s not limited to the wide open spaces of states like Montana (16.7 percent) however, even tech-heavy states like California lack access for 35 percent of its denizens. The commission’s Connect America fund is charged with closing this gap, and has already awarded CenturyLink $35 million to connect 45,000 homes in under-served areas as part of a plan to help seven million more people get online by 2018.

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FCC report says 19 million Americans still without broadband access originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 21 Aug 2012 12:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jul 25

CenturyLink gets $35 million FCC grant to connect 45,000 rural homes to the internet (updated)

Posted in: Today's Chili

DNP CenturyLink gets $35 million FCC grant to connect 45,000 rural homes to the internet

CenturyLink has announced that it’s getting $35 million from the FCC’s Connect America Fund to hook 45,000 homes in rural areas up to the internet. The company isn’t hiding its disappointment at the donation, since it was originally angling for closer to $90 million. However, the conditions attached to the extra cash made further deployment “uneconomic,” so the company will have to settle at this first target to begin with. There is some hope for countryside folk: CenturyLink mavens have filed a waiver application which, if granted, would let the company connect a further 60,000 homes where service is currently too expensive to install.

Update: The FCC has made its own announcement, pledging that it’ll connect up to 400,000 unconnected citizens in the next three years and up to seven million in six. The full text is after the jump.

Continue reading CenturyLink gets $35 million FCC grant to connect 45,000 rural homes to the internet (updated)

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CenturyLink gets $35 million FCC grant to connect 45,000 rural homes to the internet (updated) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Jul 2012 12:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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