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Aruba’s ONLY English newspaper
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States contend with short timeline to Dande Festival will take
correct broadband map place on December 27-29
Page 11
SMFA signed new lease

This computer screen provided by the FCC shows a draft of the Federal Communications Com-
mission’s new broadband map, a future version of which will determine how much of a $42.5 bil- agreement for the ex-Botica
lion federal investment in high-speed internet each state gets. The darker the blue, the better the
broadband coverage. Aruba monument
Associated Press
By KAVISH HARJAI of new federal funds to fill the gaps de-
Associated Press/Report for America pends heavily on knowing where they are.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — States are racing West Virginia officials have already sub-
against a deadline to challenge the map mitted challenges for 138,000 underserved
federal officials will use to divvy up the homes, businesses and other locations in
nation’s largest-ever investment in high- the state that they say are missing, and
speed internet. At stake is a share of the they’re preparing at least 40,000 more.
$42.5 billion Broadband Equity, Access “We’re going to find out,” said U.S. Sen.
and Deployment program, part of the in- Joe Manchin, a West Virginia Democrat.
frastructure measure President Joe Biden “There is no excuse that West Virginia —
signed into law last year. every nook and cranny, every person —
States have until Jan. 13 to challenge a if they’ve got electricity in their house, by
broadband speed map the Federal Com- God they can get internet in their house,
munications Commission released last too.” According to the first draft of this
month that, for the first time, illustrates the year’s FCC map, 2% of residential ad-
haves and have nots of internet access dresses in the U.S. have no broadband ac-
down to specific street addresses. cess at all and 11% are considered under-
Critics have long suspected that the num- served. But those figures are likely to rise
ber of people with internet connections after the state challenges. Previous FCC
has been overstated by the government, maps depicted broadband availability at
in part because agencies creating the the census block level. That meant that if
maps have deferred to telecommunica- an internet service provider reported that
tions companies to say where service is it offered broadband to one home within
provided. Extending service to remote ar- a census block, the whole census block
eas with few customers can be expensive would be considered served. Page 7
for internet providers, but using the surge Continued on Page 2