Online Community Development
fromForbes
4 days agoRural America's Connectivity: Interstates, Broadband And Livability
The COVID pandemic reversed rural brain drain as telecommuting allowed skilled workers to return for affordability and livability.
True high-speed rail in the U.S. is still years away despite recent advancements and public support. Rail experts emphasize that actual high-speed rail requires dedicated infrastructure and faster trains, similar to systems in Europe and Asia.
"Lehigh Valley residents deserve internet that works as hard as they do. We're not just expanding our network—we're giving customers a superior choice. By signing up now, residents can secure early access to faster speeds, better reliability, and a customer experience built for them."
"We share The Wonderful Company's vision of ensuring the entire Lost Hills community has access to reliable, high-speed Internet," said Matthew Murphy, CEO of unWired Broadband. "We're proud to play a role in making that vision a reality. Partnerships like this demonstrate how collaboration between the public and private sectors can expand critical infrastructure and help ensure families, students, and local businesses have the connectivity they need to succeed."
The firm's study, 'North American Fiber Broadband Report: FTTH Review and Forecast 2026-2030,' indicates that nearly $200 billion will be spent on fiber over the next five years, highlighting a significant investment in fiber-to-the-home services.
Officers were first alerted to the discarded mail on the afternoon of Jan. 23, according to police. Upon finding the mail in a dumpster on Elm Street in North Troy, they determined that none of it was for that address. Police identified Morisseau as a person of interest and learned that she was a postal employee.
When I came into this world and met her, I never really saw her smile. Having a focus in rural areas is really important because sometimes they're scared to go to the dentist. I'm not able to restore my grandmother's smile, but with my patients, I treat them like they're my own family members. Just showing them love and care-having that small interaction-can really change their trajectory.
Ministers have confirmed that all 11,500 Post Office branches across the UK will be retained, following a period of uncertainty and public concern over potential closures. The decision reverses an earlier proposal outlined in a government green paper last summer, which had suggested removing the 11,500-minimum branch requirement for the state-owned postal, banking, and retail service.
Amazon has sought a tax abatement that would see its datacenter exempt from paying property taxes for 30 years in exchange for the funding of local schools and infrastructure projects. The people up on city council are, for the most part, good people. They care about the community, [but] they have been taken advantage of by these companies.
The FCC approval enables SpaceX to add 7,500 Gen2 Starlink satellites to orbit, doubling its current number and bringing its total network to 15,000 satellites. According to the FCC, the additional satellites will enable SpaceX to better provide low-latency, high-speed internet communications across the globe. The FCC approval should enable SpaceX to leverage its recently announced speed increases, which were announced on the social media platform X late last year. "Significant improvements in @starlink network performance in 2025, with median peak-hour network-wide speeds increasing by over 50%," Starlink Vice President of Engineering Michael Nicolls said in a tweet.
The Trump administration is scaling back plans for this year's field test of the 2030 census, raising concerns about the Census Bureau's ability to produce a reliable population tally for redistributing political representation and federal funding in the next decade. The 2026 test was designed to help the bureau improve the accuracy of the country's upcoming once-a-decade head count.
The Rapid Broadband Assessment Team (RBAT) used its Accelerated Docket Process to resolve a dispute in Virginia that had slowed down and would have added costs to Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) projects in the state. RBAT is composed of staffers from the Enforcement and Wireline Competition bureaus. They oversaw the development of a case record that presented both sides' legal arguments. The process led to the issuance of an order within 60 days.
The program is free of charge, with monthly classes and workshops administered by the New Mexico Office of Broadband Access and Expansion (OBAE) and paid for by the U.S. Congress. Building Industry Consulting Service International (BICSI) will provide lab equipment, workbooks, tools, and all teaching equipment. The funding for the three-year broadband workforce program comes from a $1.99 million federal grant New Mexico received from the 2024 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Act. Last year, New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham asked state agencies in 2024 to address the critical need for infrastructure development in the state, including telecommunications.