19 YEARS. It’s been 19 years since the Internet Innovation Alliance (IIA) was launched on September 23, 2004. But this bittersweet post is to announce that tomorrow’s anniversary will be IIA’s last; the coalition is shutting its digital doors. IIA’s mission has long been advocating that “every American should have broadband access.” And guess what? WE’RE ALMOST THERE. When IIA began in 2004, just 64 percent of American adults used the internet, according to Pew Research. That number has climbed to 92 percent today. And thanks to nearly $2.1 trillion invested by U ..read more

In the largest survey run to date, Recon Analytics recently assessed whether consumers eligible for the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) are actually enrolling in the program and, if so, for what are they using their funds. For reference, the below ACP eligibility categories of low-income individuals are from existing federal government subsidy programs: More than 20 million of the almost 53 million ACP-eligible households have signed up. “Red” states have the highest number of consumers receiving ACP subsidies: Louisiana, Ohio, Kentucky and North Carolina. When ACP enrollment is co ..read more

Offering government services in a digital format and providing administrative transparency can boost the public’s trust in local governments’ operations, according to a new report from the company CivicPlus. The research showed that people who engaged digitally with their governments more than once a month were almost five times more trusting of their city’s government than those who engaged less or not at all. More than 82% of residents surveyed said it was important for their local government to provide transparency and access to their administrative decisions. “Some of this improved ac ..read more

The record has been broken for the longest distance of power delivery through a single fiber optics cable. Researchers with the Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (NTT) and the Hokkaido National University Organization Kitami Institute of Technology managed to deliver in excess of 1 W across a 10km distance, in addition to the high-speed data exchange allowed by fiber optics. Previously, this had only been accomplished for a distance of up to two kilometers (due to optical intensity limits within the fiber itself). Thanks to this advancement, disaster relief & recovery and power de ..read more

The vast majority (94.6%) of U.S. hospitals use telemedicine, found the Eagle 2023 Telemedicine Adoption Survey. According to the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), the physician shortage is expected to reach 122,000 by 2032, which telemedicine can help offset. Across all of the surveyed hospitals, a telemedicine implementation rate of 89% was identified. Large hospitals (over 250 beds) have the highest telemedicine implementation of 97.7%. The top reasons for using telemedicine include physician specialty support (52.2%), surge specialty support (40.3%), staffing gap support (39 ..read more

Eighty percent of public safety answering points are short-staffed, with some facing staffing shortages as high as 50 percent (the national average is about 30%). The staffing issues at these 911 call centers have been creating longer waits during emergencies. Thankfully, artificial intelligence and high-tech software are streamlining work, remedying outdated methods of dispatching emergency services and improving response time. The communications division at the Guernsey County Sheriff’s Office in Ohio has one of the most high-tech 911 systems in America after teaming up with softwa ..read more

According to Nielsen, in July 2023, linear TV viewership—via broadcast and cable networks—fell below half of total TV and streaming for the first time. Up from 37.7 percent of TV viewing in June, streaming hit an all-time high of 38.7 percent of all TV usage. Last month was the third consecutive month that streaming’s share of TV use hit a high and that Nielsen clocked an increased share of viewers’ time devoted to streaming. Broadcast networks slid to just 20 percent of viewing in July, from 20.8 percent in June. Cable was measured at 29.6 percent, a decrease from 30.6 percent the prior month ..read more

According to new poll conducted by YouGov for the Artificial Intelligence Policy Institute, majorities of American voters from both parties are worried about AI risks and support federal regulation to control them. In fact, 82% say they don’t trust tech executives to regulate AI and prefer federal AI regulation over self-regulation by tech companies. More than half (56%) of voters support a federal agency regulating AI, compared to 14% who don’t. Additionally, more than three-in-five (62%) people said they are somewhat or mostly “concerned” about AI compared to one-in-five (21%) who said they ..read more

A new school safety solution will help school districts better protect their students and faculty in the event of an emergency. Powered by FirstNet, Intrado and AT&T ESInet, the solution reduces emergency response times by directly connecting school staff, school information systems, 9-1-1 call takers and first responders. The FirstNet Certified Intrado Safety Shield’s features include: A mobile app with a silent panic alarm, secure 2-way faculty chat, digitized emergency response plans, role-specific response checklists, and integration with school information systems to account for all ..read more

The U.S. semiconductor industry faces a shortfall of about 67,000 workers by 2030, or 58% of new jobs across manufacturing and design (and 80% of projected new technical jobs), according to a new study from the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) and Oxford Economics. According to the report, 39% of the unfulfilled jobs will be technicians, most of whom will have certificates or two-year degrees; 35% will be engineers with four-year degrees or computer scientists; and 26% will be engineers at the master’s or PhD level. The chip industry’s workforce, which counts roughly 345,000 this year ..read more