The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation announced $3.4 million in grants to improve Internet connections of public libraries in Kansas, Arkansas, New York, Virginia, and Massachusetts. Through the Opportunity Online program, the Foundation will partner with fourteen additional states to help libraries compete for broadband stimulus funds. Read More »
As in the civilian world, the military is using broadband to improve access to and the quality of education and healthcare. During remarks at Clinton Presidential Library in Little Rock, Arkansas, FCC Chairman Julian Genachowski discussed the ways that servicemen and women are benefiting from broadband and how that applies to the upcoming National Broadband Plan. Read More »
Speed Matters released the third annual report on Internet Speeds in America - and U.S. connection speeds have not improved significantly in the past year. The results of the report are based on the last-mile connection speed of over 413,000 Internet users who took the online test between May 2008 and May 2009. The data also confirms that where a customer lives is a good indicator of Internet connection speed. With some exceptions, if you live in a Northeastern or Mid-Atlantic state, you are likely to have good high-speed Internet options. Read More »
At a recent Arkansas Opportunity Online Broadband Summit in Little Rock, representatives of libraries from across the state met to develop a sustainable plan to "assure that adequate Internet bandwidth is available to all public libraries in Arkansas in the future." Twenty-seven library systems in Arkansas have one or more libraries with Internet connection speeds that don’t meet the demand of patrons. Read More »
On June 11, Arkansas library leaders, community partners, and statewide stakeholders gathered to attend the Arkansas Opportunity Online Broadband Summit. Participants heard from Governor Mike Beebe, Senator Mark Pryor and Arkansas Speaker of the House Robbie Wills as they explored ways to increase connectivity in Arkansas' libraries. Watch speeches from the summit: Read More »
Experts from all corners of the Southeast United States gathered at Benedict College earlier this month to discuss the state of broadband in their states and ways to further their interests. Read More »
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced a $6.9 million pilot grant to public libraries in seven states today to improve the speed of Internet connections. Read More »
Speed Matters has released our second Read More »
The Broadband Advisory Council and Connect Arkansas were both formed by the Arkansas Legislature, and are working towards statewide high speed Internet access. Representatives from these organizations as well as state government officials, academics and members of the business community recently came together during the fourth annual Breakthrough Solutions Conference in Little Rock. Read More »
During a recent meeting in Little Rock, Federal Communications Commissioners Michael Copps and Jonathan Adelstein and Arkansas Sen. Mark Pryor joined rural advocates and educators to hail the Universal Service Fund as a route to bring high speed Internet access to rural areas. Read More »
