#makingairwaves

On December 4, the FCC made a major announcement that the Commission would repurpose $9 billion to fund 5G deployment in rural America. So where exactly would the money go? Buried in the press release were the findings of a year-long investigation into the accuracy of cell phone network coverage maps. Mapping is important for

In July, we highlighted the overwhelmingly poor decision by the FCC to commercialize the Educational Broadband Service (EBS) spectrum band before educators had an opportunity to apply for licenses. While the majority of the rulemaking was bad news, one of the positive decisions made by the FCC was to create a Rural Tribal Priority Window.

Voqal’s Education Opportunity Project (EOP) seeks to measurably reduce educational opportunity gaps by providing capital and strategic advice to entrepreneurs and organizations working to improve educational outcomes for disadvantaged populations. In this month’s Education Opportunity Project feature, we take a look at EOP investee, MathTalk. MathTalk uses augmented reality, designated installations and a mobile app

The Funders’ Committee for Civic Participation (FCCP) is an innovative and thought-provoking network of funders that shares an underlying conviction that all people deserve a voice in the democratic process. As strong believers of an engaged and empowered public Voqal was excited to both sponsor and attend this year’s annual convening in Detroit. The first

It has been over 4 months since the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted to overhaul the Educational Broadband Service (EBS) spectrum band (2.5 GHz) and prepare it for commercial auction. As EBS licensees, Voqal strongly opposed the Commission’s decision because it was an enormous missed opportunity not only to strengthen educational benefits, but also to

The newly-renamed Benton Institute for Broadband & Society has released a new report titled Broadband for America’s Future: A Vision for the 2020s. The report, authored by Benton senior fellow, Jonathan Sallet, is a magnum opus of broadband policy for the forthcoming decade. Jon Sallet, along with Adrienne Farris, recently appeared on the Community Broadband

Voqal’s Education Opportunity Project seeks to measurably reduce educational opportunity gaps by providing capital and strategic advice to entrepreneurs and organizations working to improve educational outcomes for disadvantaged populations. As part of a new feature aimed at promoting the work of these forward-thinking, changemakers, we are regularly highlighting one of these organizations on the #makingairwaves

Back in September, Blair Levin and Larry Downes authored a much-talked-about opinion piece that made a bold claim: America’s Cities – not its rural areas – are the real cause for concern when it comes to the digital divide. Their main argument is that while many believe rural broadband access is the reason for the

Voices for Racial Justice advances racial, cultural, social and economic justice in Minnesota through organizer and leadership training, strategic convenings and campaigns, and research and policy tools. Thanks in part to support from Voqal, Voices for Racial Justice is working to build a movement for racial justice in rural Minnesota. Voices for Racial Justice hosts

Last week, EducationSuperHighway declared “mission accomplished” with regard to the K-12 connectivity gap. It is important to understand exactly what they are claiming. Back in 2014, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approved significant E-Rate changes. E-Rate is one of the four Universal Service Fund (USF) subsidy programs and is designed to connect schools and libraries