Fresno, California Celebrates Launch of Free Internet Initiative on Back of Community-Owned Network
Fresno Housing Authority, together with local partners, launched a free high‑speed broadband network for more than 350 residents at Sequoia Courts, funded by a $471,000 grant from California’s $6 billion Broadband For All program. The hybrid fiber‑wireless mesh delivers speeds exceeding 100 Mbps download and 20 Mbps upload, with the network owned and maintained by the public housing authority. Households will save up to $80 each month, expanding access to education, telehealth and job‑training resources. The rollout arrives as the federal Affordable Connectivity Program is being dismantled, highlighting a community‑owned model for closing the digital divide.
Okanogan County Public Utility District Lights Up Fiber In Rural WA
The Okanogan County Electric Cooperative and the Okanogan County Public Utility District are rolling out 186 miles of new fiber to serve up to 1,366 premises in Washington's upper Methow Valley. Construction began in March and is slated for completion...
California PUC Issues $3.29 Million In Digital Literacy Grants
California’s Public Utilities Commission approved $3.29 million in grants to expand digital‑literacy training and public broadband access across the state. The funding supports 18 new digital‑literacy projects and three expanded broadband‑access initiatives, reaching over 16,000 Californians. Programs will deliver at least...
Roanoke Cooperative Plans $2.4 Million Rural North Carolina Fiber Expansion
Roanoke Cooperative’s fiber arm, Fybe, secured a $2.4 million state grant to extend high‑speed broadband to 826 sites across eight rural North Carolina counties. The expansion, funded through the state’s Stop‑Gap Solutions program and backed by ARPA money, targets areas long...
B4DE Reprise: Following the Money on Digital Equity and AI Data Centers
On Tax Day, the Institute for Local Self‑Reliance and the National Digital Inclusion Alliance hosted the Building for Digital Equity livestream to examine how public funding intersects with the rapid expansion of AI hyperscale data centers. Speakers highlighted that promised...
Pennsylvania’s Claverack Cooperative Passes 100 Mile Fiber Milestone
Pennsylvania’s Claverack Rural Electric Cooperative has completed a 100‑mile fiber‑optic rollout, bringing high‑speed broadband to roughly 1,300 previously unserved homes and businesses in Bradford and Wyoming counties. The project was financed by a $4.7 million grant from the American Rescue Plan...
Lafayette’s LFT Fiber Steadily Expands, Offers Even Faster Speeds
LFT Fiber, the community‑owned broadband provider in Lafayette, Louisiana, has expanded its network to reach roughly 95,000 households and businesses. The firm has introduced residential symmetric 2 Gbps and 5 Gbps tiers, joining its existing 250 Mbps, 500 Mbps, and 1 Gbps plans. Expansion has...
Los Alamos County Signs Partner ISPs For Open Access Fiber Network
Los Alamos County, New Mexico, has signed contracts with four partner ISPs—XMission, Anthem Broadband, Intellipop and LANet—to launch the county‑wide “Atomic Fiber” open‑access network. Construction is slated to begin in spring 2026, with initial residential connections expected by fall 2026...
Fort Bragg Fiber Deployment Sees Delays, Higher Costs
Fort Bragg, California’s municipal fiber project has encountered significant setbacks after the city dismissed its original construction‑management partner, GHD. The budget has ballooned from an initial $14.7 million to $18.9 million, driven by added fiber‑flower‑pot enclosures and street‑restoration costs. Direct city oversight...
Updated Resource: Community Networks Continue to Win Big in California's Infrastructure Grant Program
California’s Last‑Mile Federal Funding Account has awarded a total of $1.23 billion, with community networks capturing half of the $110 million granted in the latest round. The Hoopa Valley Utility Authority secured a nearly $40 million Hoopa TRAIL project to deliver gigabit service to...
Bergen County, New Jersey Quickly Expanding Municipal Fiber Footprint
Bergen County, New Jersey is rapidly expanding its municipal fiber Institutional Network (I‑Net), with recent launches in Little Ferry, Hillsdale and Lodi. The wholesale‑only network supplies fiber to municipalities, schools and libraries, allowing participating towns to cut broadband expenses by as...
Chittenden County CUD Continues Affordable Fiber Expansion In Vermont
Chittenden County Communication Union District (CCCUD) completed a fiber‑optic expansion into six rural towns—Essex Town, Essex Junction, Jericho, Shelburne, Westford, and Williston—bringing high‑speed internet to more than 1,900 homes and businesses. The project, executed with Fidium Fiber, was financed by...
Our Community Network Map Now Shows Tribal Networks Across the United States
The Institute for Local Self‑Reliance unveiled an upgraded Community Network Map that now includes Tribal broadband providers. The interactive tool identifies 82 active Tribal Internet Service Providers across the United States, displaying population size, business model, network links, and whether...