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The Center on Rural Innovation has launched the Broadband Climate Risk Mitigation tool, which evaluates the resilience of broadband infrastructures in the face of natural hazards. The tool provides broadband access data for each census tract and assesses the risk levels for severe weather events such as wildfires, flooding, tornadoes, and earthquakes. The data is sourced from the Federal Communications Commission’s form 477 and the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s national risk index.

The Broadband Climate Risk Mitigation tool also offers suggestions to prevent or minimize damage to connectivity from natural calamities. It identifies three different types of broadband assets: aerial, buried, and wireless. By leveraging location-based data, local leaders can design more climate-resilient networks using the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment funding. This tool aims to create more resilient communities in the face of natural disasters.

Furthermore, Alabama has allocated .86 million in grants from its broadband funding to expand high-speed internet access across four counties: Blount, Cullman, Marshall, and Morgan. These grants will benefit over 6,700 households, businesses, and community centers. Governor Kay Ivey praised the Alabama Legislature for providing the necessary funding, emphasizing its positive impact on education, public safety services, and business opportunities in the state. The grants were made available through the Alabama Broadband Accessibility Fund, which supports broadband expansion efforts within Alabama.

In Arizona, SparkLight, a broadband service provider, announced the completion of a million expansion project in Gila County. This project, part of their E-rate initiative, aimed to connect schools and libraries to reliable and affordable internet services. The expansion deployed more than 200 route miles and nearly 29,000 fiber miles, providing all-fiber ePON technology capable of 5 Gigabit symmetrical speeds to nine county schools and school districts, as well as eight county libraries. SparkLight secured financing for the project through various sources, including the Universal Service Fund’s E-Rate program.

GCI, a telecommunications provider in Alaska, has announced a .9 million investment to deliver 5G and voice over LTE services to the remote city of Unalaska. The project is part of GCI’s ongoing Aleutian undersea fiber project, which spans 800 miles and will offer high-speed internet and unlimited data plans to communities on the Aleutian Islands, the Alaska Peninsula, and Kodiak Island. The initial phase of the 5G project is expected to be completed by 2024.

These initiatives highlight the efforts being made to expand broadband infrastructure and improve connectivity in rural areas, ensuring that communities are better prepared to withstand natural disasters and have access to essential internet services.

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