Arkansas State Broadband Office receives fed approval for digital plan

by Talk Business & Politics staff (staff2@talkbusiness.net)

The Arkansas State Broadband Office has received approval for its Digital Skills and Opportunity Plan from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA).

In 2022, the NTIA awarded the State Broadband Office $843,673 to develop its Digital Skills and Opportunity Plan. This funding was awarded as part of the Digital Equity Planning Grant Program – one of three broadband grant programs created in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021.

“Expanding broadband infrastructure in Arkansas is critical to ensuring the success of our residents in the new digital economy,” said Glen Howie, director of the Arkansas State Broadband Office.

Arkansas State Broadband Office receives fed approval for digital plan

State's broadband director provides update on state's efforts to expand broadband

KUAR | By Ronak Patel

In a recent report ranking the broadband connectivity of the states, Arkansas ranked 49th. In an interview with Arkansas PBS, Glen Howie, the state’s broadband director, said the report does not reflect the progress the state has made.

“When you look at the remaining locations of 115,000 homes and businesses across the state that lack quality internet, you compare that to our geographic neighbors in the region and we’re ahead of them,” he said.

Howie said the state’s proactive approach to improving broadband access will help the state move forward. He said the state has already provided $550 million to communities to improve their internet. According to the Arkansas Department of Commerce, Arkansas is expected to receive about $1 billion in federal funding for broadband from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which was passed by Congress in 2021.

State's broadband director provides update on state's efforts to expand broadband

Glen Howie Twitter Page

Glen Howie is responsible for helping the state expand broadband. He has been in the position of the state's broadband director since 2022.

New Arkansas Broadband director studying state ‘Affordability Trust Fund’

by Roby Brock (roby@talkbusiness.net)

The state’s new broadband director, Glen Howie, has been on the job for a little over a month and he’s already gauging where Arkansas can excel even further with Internet connectivity. Howie, who comes to Arkansas from Louisiana, says the state has a “great story to tell.”

“Since 2020, the [broadband] office has awarded $392 million in grants, which is fantastic. That’s actually a number that would lead a lot of states and lead the nation in the amount that we’ve given out. But moving forward, we have to do more than that,” he said.

“When I’m on the road and I’m talking with folks and, I’ve said this from the very beginning, we can make Arkansas the most wired state in the country with fiber running to every single home and business across the state. But if our Arkansans can’t afford it, that’s a problem. Likewise, we can run the fiber, we can make it free, but if Arkansans don’t possess the digital literacy skills that they need to properly use the internet and computer and devices, or simply don’t understand the value that it can create for their lives and truly impact them, we need to work on that as well.”

https://talkbusiness.net/2022/09/new-arkansas-broadband-director-studying-state-affordability-trust-fund/

Glen Howie named new Arkansas broadband director

KUAR | By Ronak Patel, Josie Lenora

A new broadband director has been named for Arkansas. Glen Howie who comes from the Louisiana Office of Broadband Development and Connectivity and will lead the state’s broadband expansion.

“Like railways two centuries ago and electricity 100 years ago, broadband internet access today has become a critical piece of infrastructure, igniting economic growth, improving health outcomes, enhancing agricultural output, and advancing the educational experience of our children,” Howie said in a press release. “It is an honor and privilege to be entrusted to build upon the prior success of the state broadband office and lead the team charged with providing a transformational opportunity to all Arkansans."

As a senior policy analyst for the Louisiana Broadband Office Development and Connectivity, Howie was responsible for developing regulations for that state’s $177 million infrastructure grant program. Louisiana was one of the first four states in the country to have its plans approved by the U.S Treasury Department.

https://www.ualrpublicradio.org/local-regional-news/2022-07-11/glen-howie-named-new-arkansas-broadband-director

Glen Howie Twitter Page

Glen Howie will be responsible for helping Gov. Asa Hutchinson and Secretary of Commerce Mike Preston expand broadband access in the state.