WASHINGTON, December 18, 2009 – The Federal Communications Commission has appointed Commissioners Mignon Clyburn and Meredith Attwell Baker to serve on the federal-state boards for universal service and jurisdictional separations. Clyburn will serve as federal chair of both panels. FCC Commissioner Michael Copps will continue to serve on both boards.

The Federal-State Joint Board on Universal Service was established by the Telecommunications Act of 1996 to implement universal service provisions and to make recommendations on universal service matters. The Federal-State Joint Board on Jurisdictional Separations advises the FCC on the apportionment of regulated costs between interstate and intrastate jurisdictions.

WASHINGTON, October 14, 2009 – The states of Washington and Massachusetts on Wednesday released their lists of the projects that should be prioritized in the broadband stimulus funding decision pending by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, and the Rural Utilities Service.

July 30, 2009 – Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick announced Tuesday a partnership between the Massachusetts Broadband Institute and the Executive Office of Transportation to bring broadband to unserved and underserved communities in western parts of the state.

NEW SALEM, MASS., May 26, 2009 – Governor Deval Patrick (D) on Tuesday designated the Massachusetts Broadband Institute as the “eligible entity” for receiving broadband data funding under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

WASHINGTON, May 25, 2009 – One key area of the broadband stimulus package in which states are certain to have an impact is in the area of collecting and releasing information about local broadband deployment.

WASHINGTON, May 10, 2009 – The Massachusetts Broadband Institute on Wednesday announced that it would work with the MassGIS, the state’s Office of Geographic and Environmental Information, to begin to develop a block-level map of broadband infrastructure.

BOSTON, April 29, 2009 – Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick announced Wednesday his appointment of former MIT researcher and state regulator Sharon Gillett as director of the Massachusetts Broadband Institute. The institute was chartered by Patrick in 2008 with the goal of bringing universal broadband service to state residents by 2011.

January 22, 2009 – Verizon Communications and Free Press agreed that bringing high-speed internet technology to unserved areas of western Massachusetts may result in a monopoly, or a single local telecommunications provider.

January 17, 2009 – Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick highlighted the significance of broadband in his “State of the Commonwealth” address on Thursday, January 15. Jobs from extending broadband services was the first item mentioned in his list of the way that pending federal stimulus legislation could promote economic recovery in Massachusetts.

WASHINGTON, January 2, 2009 – Congress and the incoming administration of President Obama should include broadband-related investment in the pending legislation designed to promote economic stimulus, and the federal government needs to begin with better data about broadband availability, said Massachusetts government officials.