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The Center on Rural Innovation has introduced a new tool called the Broadband Climate Risk Mitigation tool. This tool assesses the resilience of broadband infrastructures in the case of natural hazards. In addition to providing broadband access data for each census tract, the tool also evaluates the corresponding risk levels for severe weather events such as wildfires, flooding, tornadoes, and earthquakes in each location. The data for this assessment is drawn from the Federal Communications Commission’s form 477 and the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s national risk index. The tool also offers suggestions on how to prevent or minimize the damage of these natural calamities on connectivity.

The Broadband Climate Mitigation Tool allows local leaders to use data specific to their location to design more climate-resilient networks. This tool can be used in conjunction with the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment funding to create more resilient communities in the face of natural disasters, according to a press release.

Alabama has allocated a total of .86 million in grants from the state’s broadband funding. These grants will be used to provide high-speed internet access across four counties, benefiting over 6,700 households, businesses, and community anchors. The grants were made available through the Alabama Broadband Accessibility Fund, which was enacted in 2021 to advance broadband expansion efforts within the state.

Sparklight, a broadband service provider, has completed a million expansion project in Gila county, Arizona. This project is part of the company’s E-rate initiative to connect schools and libraries to reliable and affordable internet services. The project will bring all-fiber ePON technology capable of 5 Gigabit symmetrical speeds to nine county schools and school districts, as well as eight county libraries.

GCI, Alaska’s telecommunications provider, has announced a .9 million investment to deliver 5G and voice over LTE services to the remote city of Unalaska. The city, which is located on the Aleutian Islands, will also benefit from GCI’s recently launched 2.5 gig internet speeds. This investment is part of GCI’s ongoing Aleutian undersea fiber project, which aims to provide high-speed internet and unlimited data plans to communities in the region.

These developments highlight the ongoing efforts to expand broadband access and improve connectivity in rural areas, as well as the importance of considering climate resilience in broadband infrastructure planning.

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