The Biden administration said it will set up a new Tribal communications and technology office, while the Commerce Department approved another $73 million of funding grants to expand broadband service on Tribal lands.

The Pennsylvania Broadband Development Authority has released the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s Statewide Broadband Plan. Gov. Tom Wolf said the plan “addresses both the immediate needs and long-term needs of Pennsylvanians.”

New York state is challenging the accuracy of the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) broadband data and has submitted more than 31,000 unserved or underserved addresses from across the state under the FCC’s Broadband Data Collection challenge process.

In a bid to improve internet access for underserved households, the Maryland Board of Public Works approved a contract of up to $30 million for the Office of Statewide Broadband to provide laptops for an estimated 150,000 underserved households in the state. The contract is part of the state’s larger Connect Maryland initiative.

As part of the state’s push to expand broadband access, the Indiana Farm Bureau (INFB) is encouraging residents to take the Indiana Speed Test before the end of the year to ensure accurate broadband mapping data.

The chief information officer (CIO) for Clark County, Nev. – which houses the city of Las Vegas – aims to bring broadband to 100 percent of eligible residents and businesses through access, affordability, and adoption.

A new survey from Verizon Frontline finds that network reliability tops the list of communications requirements for first responders when they are responding to emergencies.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) awarded another round of funding for its Emergency Connectivity Fund (ECF) on Oct. 19. The $78 million will benefit approximately 175,000 students, bringing the total of those awarded with broadband services and devices to over 14 million.

The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has awarded $10.6 million in grants as part of the Connecting Minority Communities Pilot Program (CMC).

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers announced that the state will use $40 million in Federal funding to expedite Wisconsin’s efforts to expand access to high-speed internet across the state.