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How are Black communities in the rural South dealing with digital redlining?

Jan 26, 2024
Aallyah Wright of Capital B News traveled to Alabama, Mississippi and Georgia to see how people are coping with limited internet access.
Robyn Beck /AFP via Getty Images

States get $42 billion to expand high-speed internet to underserved communities

Jun 27, 2023
The federal funding aims to ensure internet access is as widely accessible as electricity.
Nearly a quarter of Americans don't have high-speed internet at home. People of color, low-income people and rural residents are least likely to have access.
Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

After federal investment, supply chain jams and labor shortages still hinder tribal broadband access

Apr 6, 2023
In Oklahoma's Osage Nation, the construction of a 200-mile fiber network is underway, but hurdles abound.
To boost broadband access, tribal nations must compete with states that are also flush with federal funds to purchase the same supplies.
trumzz/Getty Images

Iran's internet crackdown prompts frustration — and workarounds

Oct 6, 2022
After the death of Mahsa Amini, Iran's government and citizens use increasingly sophisticated tools in their struggle over information.
Iranian demonstrators in the streets of Tehran after the death of Mahsa Amini. The government has a history of blocking digital access when protests break out.
-/AFP via Getty Images

Millions of eligible Americans are missing out on broadband internet subsidies

Jan 24, 2022
People without reliable internet access can be hard to reach.
By one estimate, about 30 million American households are missing out on the FCC's monthly subsidy.
Valerie Macon/Getty Images

FCC proposes rule change to help tribal libraries with broadband

Oct 25, 2021
A change to the E-Rate program could help tribal libraries get online.
Navajo Nation is currently expanding internet capacity at local government and community centers that function like libraries through E-Rate, a Federal Communications Commission program that helps schools and libraries access affordable broadband.
Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images

Broadband, computer subsidies on the way for those who qualify

May 11, 2021
Applications open May 12 for low-income consumers who need help paying for faster, more reliable internet.
Those who qualify will receive a discount on their monthly internet bill and money toward a new computer.
Karen Bleier/AFP via Getty Images

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Native American community colleges see enrollment declines because of COVID-19

Apr 14, 2021
Some students lacked internet and other technology for remote learning. Some schools have provided incentives like free laptops.
In the fall, first-time-freshman enrollment at tribal colleges fell an average of 11% nationwide.
Kerem Yucel/AFP via Getty Images

For people without internet service, getting a vaccination appointment can be difficult

Mar 26, 2021
Appointment systems that rely on the internet don't take into account the digital divide in the U.S.
"That internet access problem is actually affecting the people that we need to be vaccinated the most: older people, people of color and other folks who have been traditionally marginalized," said Nicol Turner Lee, director of the Center for Technology Innovation at the Brookings Institution.
Mario Tama/Getty Images

Change in FCC leadership may renew net neutrality battle

Dec 1, 2020
Ajit Pai's departure could lead to a Democratic majority on the commission and is expected to spark new policy fights.
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai speaks before a Senate panel in June. The commission's balance of power may change under the Biden administration.
Chip Somodevilla/AFP via Getty Images