The Charleston libraries have begun offering internet hotspots for checkout in an effort to connect the area’s students to the internet. The libraries recently added 121 hotspots to their inventory. Cardholders can check out the broadband-capable bricks from any of the library’s locations. Today, students need an internet connection to do their homework on most […]
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After a successful pilot at the Southeast Branch location, the Austin Public Library (APL) is expanding its “Wi-Fi HotSpot Lending” program to include 10 branch locations. The program, which originally launched in mid-December and ran for six weeks, lets library customers check out active Wi-Fi hotspots. Read the full article at KVUE.com.
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“I thank the SHLB Coalition for organizing this briefing to educate our policymakers about the ways Educational Broadband Service (EBS) is being used today to provide much-needed broadband access to anchor institutions, students, low-income families, and rural Americans. Today, EBS remains the only licensed spectrum available for educational institutions to connect their communities. In areas […]
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School advocates hope that a proposal under consideration by the Federal Communications Commission to tap into a largely unused portion of broadband spectrum will boost students’ access to high-speed internet connectivity. The FCC is considering an array of ideas that it says will overhaul and “rationalize” outdated regulations for how the spectrum is governed, so […]
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BY CARRI BENNET & KATHERINE MESSIER February 14, 2019 One of the central challenges facing our country today is the growing divide between rural and urban America. As many economists have noted, rural areas are increasingly lacking the opportunities for job creation and growth that are found in our big cities. That gap is bad […]
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Several Democratic senators voiced concern today over impacts of T-Mobile’s $26 billion agreement to acquire rival wireless service provider Sprint, and requested a hearing on the merger. At the same time, rural wireless carriers expressed their opposition to the deal. In a letter to chairman Roger Wicker, R-Miss., chairman of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, […]
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Opposition to T-Mobile’s proposed merger with Sprint is growing. A group of five Democratic U.S. senators sent a letter to the leaders of the Senate Commerce Committee urging them to hold a hearing to examine the potential impact of the deal on consumer choice and competition in the wireless market. “The merger of T-Mobile and Sprint would […]
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Washington, D.C., January 24, 2019 – More wireless companies serving predominantly rural consumers today joined the 4Competition Coalition, illustrating the growing opposition to the Sprint/T-Mobile merger from rural businesses and advocates. Western New York-based Blue Wireless and Alabama-based Pine Belt Cellular announced their opposition to the deal, as did Mobile Beacon, a wireless provider that serves more […]
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Mobile Beacon is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the North American Catholic Educational Programming Foundation (NACEPF) Federal Communications Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel continued her backing of an incentive auction for Educational Broadband Service licenses at 2.5 GHz at a forum in Washington, D.C., framing it as a compromise option to “honor” the intent for educational use in […]
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“Today, educators across the country are utilizing EBS spectrum to solve the persistent challenges that prevent millions of Americans from getting online and engaging in our digital society. The North American Catholic Educational Programming Foundation (NACEPF), the 2nd largest EBS licensee in the United States, and its subsidiary Mobile Beacon work side by side with […]
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