Federal approval of the state’s Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program smooths the way for the grant application process to open to Internet service providers, expected in late summer.
After delays in permitting, construction has started on the $50 million Vexus Fiber network. The company and city reached a franchise agreement in March 2022, and installation is expected to be fully completed during the next three years.
The funding from the Next Level Connections Broadband Grant Program is aimed at bringing Internet to more than 34,000 locations in 54 counties. Service providers and others can access it with a 20 percent match.
A multibillion-dollar plan to develop 10,000 miles of broadband infrastructure has hit financial headwinds, forcing the state to consider what not to build. Some construction is already underway.
The two cities submitted the winning applications for the 2024 Mobility Insights Competition, organized by Lime and the League of American Bicyclists. The municipalities can now use Lime’s data to address mobility issues.
The Utah Department of Transportation will continue its partnership with Panasonic on deploying connected vehicle technology. It intends to add more vehicles to the project and make collected data actionable.
The state Legislature has set aside $250,000 this year to study underground water levels and ensure they don’t run dry amid increased demand from data centers and a multiyear drought.
The state program would match private dollars in an effort to build out the technology ecosystem with project funding. Areas of focus could include data centers, operations support or backing lab space.
If signed by Gov. Tim Walz, the state’s standalone tax bill transformed into a thousand-page omnibus would activate a four-year red light and speed safety camera pilot in Minneapolis and Mendota Heights.
The commitment from St. Tammany Parish will connect an area between Covington and Folsom, part of a plan to significantly boost Internet access to rural areas across the north shore of the Gulf.
