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Broadband

Breaking Ground

How a small Kentucky town was 10 years ahead of the government

by Kai Ryssdal and Andie Corban
Aug 28, 2024
As the federal government tries to connect every home to high-speed internet by 2030, Kai Ryssdal visits a Kentucky town that already did that — 10 years ago.
An early transition toward high-speed fiber internet has transformed some American communities.
Andie Corban/Marketplace
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Breaking Ground

In national broadband rollout, rural landscapes pose a challenge

by Kai Ryssdal and Sarah Leeson
Aug 27, 2024
The government is spending billions to expand internet access. But distance, low housing density and other factors complicate the plan.
Chip Spann of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration gave Marketplace's Kai Ryssdal a tour of sites related to Kentucky's broadband expansion.
Sarah Leeson/Marketplace
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Breaking Ground

The U.S. is investing billions of dollars in fiber internet. Here's what makes it run.

by Kai Ryssdal and Andie Corban
Aug 26, 2024
We tour a North Carolina plant where melted glass is pulled into the hair-like strands that power fiber-optic cable.
Manufacturers like Prysmian supply fiber-optic cables to internet service providers.
Andie Corban/Marketplace
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Breaking Ground

Libraries are essential for internet access, even as national broadband projects ramp up

by Kai Ryssdal and Sarah Leeson
Aug 23, 2024
The federal government wants to bring fiber connections to every home. In the meantime, some areas will still rely on the library.
Debra Lawson, director of the Spencer County Public Library, says she doesn't know what some patrons would do without the library's internet access. "The way they use our computers, they're participating in society," she says.
Andie Corban/Marketplace
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National Debt

Commerce chief lays out blueprint for chip manufacturing in America

by Kai Ryssdal and Sarah Leeson
May 10, 2024
The supply chain is being built to reduce U.S. vulnerability and seize opportunities like artificial intelligence, Raimondo says.
Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo discussed chips, China and jobs with Marketplace's Kai Ryssdal in Washington.
Nancy Farghalli/Marketplace
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Broadband "nutrition labels" help you comparison shop for cable

by Meghan McCarty Carino
Apr 11, 2024
Instead of tracking added sugar and fiber, they measure added fees and fiber speed.
An example of what a "broadband nutrition label" would look like.
Courtesy Federal Communications Commission
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End of internet subsidies for low-income households threatens access to telehealth

by Sarah Jane Tribble
Apr 2, 2024
A federal program that helped pay for more than 23 million low-income households’ internet access runs out of money soon.
Nonprofit groups like Link Health worked to sign up patients and community members for discounted internet service through a national program that's set to run out of funds this spring.
Courtesy Link Health
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After federal investment, supply chain jams and labor shortages still hinder tribal broadband access

by Savannah Peters
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
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FCC readies broadband map to help allocate funds for higher speeds

by Savannah Peters
Nov 17, 2022
Identifying where high-speed internet is available has been tricky. But the map may give officials a better idea of who's left out.
The new map may address stubborn inequality in the reach of broadband internet. Tribal and rural communities could benefit.
Getty Images
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On tribal lands, broadband access remains a struggle

by Savannah Peters
Aug 10, 2022
More funding for internet access has been made available during the COVID-19 pandemic, but coordination and permitting are still hurdles.
While a lot of schools, workplaces and medical clinics moved their operations online during the pandemic, many Native communities were left behind.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
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