It won’t take long for the University of Rhode Island women to face some difficult tests in their Atlantic 10 basketball schedule.

The Rams play four of last year’s top five finishers in the league standings in their first 10 games, including a Feb. 2 conference tournament title game rematch at Richmond. URI’s road back to that final league contest of 2024-25 begins with a Dec. 29 home date against Saint Louis at the Ryan Center.

More: Rhode Island women’s basketball announces non-conference schedule; who the Rams will play

George Mason visits on Jan. 12 to kick off what could be a tough opening stretch for the Rams. URI plays at VCU and at Duquesne within the next week — the games against the Patriots and Dukes will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network. The Rams will play in two of the league’s 40 contests that will be shown on national cable networks.

URI’s showdown with the Spiders comes against a team that swept regular-season and tournament crowns in 2023-24. Richmond finished 29-6 overall and controlled the first three quarters of the conference championship game against the Rams, easing to a 65-51 win. URI upset Saint Joseph’s and took care of the Billikens during a three-game winning streak at Henrico Sports & Events Center.

More: Rhode Island women’s basketball in line for ‘complete reset’ next season

The Rams play three of their next five games against last season’s contenders after taking on the Spiders. Duquesne at home on Feb. 5, George Mason on the road on Feb. 12 and the Hawks at home on Feb. 19 offer a difficult entry into the regular season’s last full month. Saint Joseph’s finished tied with VCU a game behind Richmond in 2023-24, coming up just shy of sharing a piece of the crown.

URI closes with a March 1 home game against George Washington at the Ryan Center. The Rams will be looking to improve upon a 21-14 overall mark last year, one that included just a 10-8 finish in league play. That’s the fewest conference wins in the last four seasons under head coach Tammi Reiss, who has lifted program standards considerably since her hiring ahead of the 2019-20 season.

Game times and other broadcast information will be made available at a later date. Visit gorhody.com for more.

bkoch@providencejournal.com

On X: @BillKoch25

URI women’s basketball A-10 schedule

Dec. 29 – Saint LouisJan. 2 – at St. BonaventureJan. 8 – at DavidsonJan. 12 – George Mason, CBS Sports NetworkJan. 15 – at VCUJan. 19 – at Duquesne, CBS Sports NetworkJan. 22 – MassachusettsJan. 26 – Loyola ChicagoJan. 29 – at FordhamFeb. 2 – at RichmondFeb. 5 – DuquesneFeb. 8 – DaytonFeb. 12 – at George MasonFeb. 16 – La SalleFeb. 19 – Saint Joseph’sFeb. 23 – at MassachusettsFeb. 26 – at Saint LouisMarch 1 – George Washington

Rhode Island’s economic development agency is forging ahead with a $108 million high-speed internet program, despite a lawsuit from Cox Communications contesting the data used to develop the plan.

Rhode Island Commerce Corp. on Monday agreed to spend another $434,000 on its contract with international telecommunications firm Altman Solon LLP, according to Matt Touchette, a Commerce spokesperson. A copy of the agreement was not immediately available.

The company was hired in August 2023 for a $1.3 million, two-year contract to help Rhode Island meet requirements tied to various federal broadband expansion programs. That included $108 million awarded to the Ocean State through the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program. The federal funding aims to bring high-speed internet to underserved communities in states nationwide.

Yet the data around which R.I. Commerce built its initial proposal — identifying neighborhoods where internet speeds were slower than federally accepted minimums — is under scrutiny by one of the state’s largest internet service providers. 

R.I. Commerce, Cox Communications can’t connect on broadband access map

The Sept. 23 lawsuit filed by Cox Communications asks a Providence County Superior Court judge to stop R.I. Commerce from proceeding with its broadband access plan, which has already received preliminary approval from federal regulators. A final proposal, due July 2025, must also be approved in order to receive federal funding.

Cox alleges that the state’s plan relies on inaccurate and outdated broadband maps, which incorrectly classified 30,000 homes statewide, including affluent areas in Newport and Westerly, as “underserved communities” in need of broadband access. Cox contends that it already provides high-speed internet to these areas, accusing the state of mismanaging federal funding at the expense of residents who truly need broadband access.

Touchette said in an interview on Monday that the increase in funding for Altman Solon is unrelated to the pending lawsuit. Instead, Touchette pointed to new and updated federal requirements for the BEAD program as reason for “cost overages” beyond what the existing contract envisioned.

For example, federal regulators recently released new guidance for states on incorporating low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellites into their plans. The satellites are typically used to bring internet to remote or otherwise inaccessible locations, and are not expected to significantly change Rhode Island’s existing plan, according to Touchette. In order to qualify for full federal funding, the state has to incorporate the new rules regarding LEO satellites anyway.

To Karl Wadensten, a Commerce board member, the extra funding to Altman Solon is a no-brainer.

“Either you’re going to spend the money on the contract, which gets offset when you get the $108 million, or you don’t spend it and you don’t qualify for federal funding,” Wadensten said in an interview on Wednesday.

Underlying the expense is the lack of in-house expertise among state officials to comply with the avalanche of federal requirements. Wadensten suspects Rhode Island is not alone in this.

“No one in Rhode Island knows how to do this, but I don’t think anyone in any of the states knows,” Wadensten said.

Charlie Meisch, a spokesperson for the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, said the BEAD program was intended to be flexible based on the “changing realities that states are facing.”

“We continue to issue guidance and technical assistance to support the states in this important program, and one of our ongoing top priorities is equipping the states with the tools they need to run a successful grant program,” Meisch said in a statement Wednesday.

Calling in the experts

Anticipating the wave of federal funding available for broadband programs, Rhode Island lawmakers passed legislation in 2022 to create a state broadband coordinator position and a complementary, 12-member advisory panel. Mark Preston, vice president of construction in the eastern region for Cox, is one of the members on the broadband advisory council.

Former state Rep. Deborah Ruggiero, who sponsored the 2022 bill and sits on the state broadband advisory council, said it was unrealistic for the state broadband coordinator to handle all elements of Rhode Island’s broadband plan alone.

“The federal regulations apply the same to every state in the country,” Ruggiero, a Jamestown Democrat, said in an interview Wednesday. “Virginia has 20 staff devoted to broadband. Maine has eight. We have two people within Commerce.”

Hence, why Commerce sought outside expertise to develop the state’s broadband infrastructure plan, including developing and implementing the components of its BEAD program. 

Altman Solon, selected through a competitive bidding process, describes itself as a leading international telecommunications, media and technology strategy consultant firm, with its own proprietary network planning tool to help internet service providers and state governments expand broadband coverage and comply with federal funding requirements. 

Swope Fleming, a partner in Altman Solon’s Boston office, declined to comment on the firm’s work for R.I. Commerce when reached by phone Wednesday.

The original, August 2023 work order does not specifically mention mapping in the scope of company work, but requires the firm to help identify and plan for how to serve neighborhoods in need of expanded broadband access.

Cox in its lawsuit alleged the state erred in its mapping, relying on consumer-reported, free speed tests through a company called Ookla, that were “layered” over existing federal broadband information for Rhode Island. However, no one, including Cox, has actually seen the data used to create the state broadband maps, which do not align with the company’s own data or other publicly available resources, according to the lawsuit.

Not for lack of trying. Cox submitted a public records request for the information, but was told it would take 3,440 hours for R.I. Commerce to compile and review, with a corresponding $52,000 cost for labor. 

Without this information, Cox maintains it did not get a fair chance to protest the state broadband maps during the 38-day public challenge period, which ended July 6. The internet provider also said it did not have time to run the 105,000 speed tests needed to formally challenge the map based on the state requirements.

The extra funding for Altman Solon’s contract also covers the cost to respond to information requests from internet service providers, Touchette said. He did not directly name Cox or the lawsuit in his explanation.

“We attempt to be maximally responsive to any information request we receive, and we want to be sure our responses are technically sound,” Touchette said. “This is true at all times but was especially prudent given recent events.”

Touchette previously refuted the claims made by Cox in the lawsuit, in turn accusing the company of trying to undermine the state’s broadband infrastructure rollout plan because it could help competing internet service providers.

Ruggerio labeled the lawsuit a “PR stunt.”

“The NTIA has indicated the process was fair, equitable and transparent,” Ruggiero said. “Cox was at the meetings; they know exactly what the process was. Now, they are having a temper tantrum because they can’t get all of the $108 million that’s coming to Rhode Island.”

“There’s no harm to Cox,” Ruggerio continued. “They are free to bid like every other vendor.”

Regardless of Cox’s intentions, it’s possible state broadband maps could look different than what Cox’s internal data suggests, said Don Nokes, president and cofounder of IT services firm NetCenergy. That’s especially true for “last-mile” physical infrastructure that connects the larger network to an individual home or business.

“The last mile map is constantly being updated,” said Nokes, whose Warwick-based company helped develop last-mile infrastructure plans for several area colleges and universities. “It’s a moving target. If two different people are collecting the data, they are not going to be in sync.”

Bill Fischer, a spokesperson for Cox, reiterated the company’s concerns over “inaccurate and manipulated” maps and data in a statement Wednesday. 

“We have significant concerns about how Commerce is spending these precious one-time federal dollars to build redundant broadband internet infrastructure in some of Rhode Island’s wealthiest communities,” Fischer said. “We’ve made several requests for the rationale and data they used to make their determinations since their mapping contradicts our network’s capabilities and our own speed test results as well as the FCC’s National Broadband Map – but we have been rebuffed each time.”

Cox is the fifth-largest internet service provider and largest private broadband company nationwide, serving 7 million homes and businesses across 18 states. In Rhode Island, it competes primarily with Verizon, as local internet service providers have largely disappeared, although Block Island began its own municipal broadband service in 2023.

The lawsuit in Providence County Superior Court remains pending, according to online court records.

Updated to include comments from former state representative Deborah Ruggiero and spokespeople for Cox Communications and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration.

KINGSTON, R.I. — Oct. 2, 2024 — Diane Chace Fannon ’74 and S. Kent Fannon ’74 have made a gift of $500,000 to the Feinstein College of Education at the University of Rhode Island to establish the Diane and Kent Fannon Education Research Endowment.

Faculty will be able to apply for funds from the endowment to support innovative research projects that will help teachers and improve learning outcomes. In addition to preparing teachers for the classroom, the College conducts advanced research on topics including literacy, STEM education, equity and inclusion, teaching with technology, and more.

“I began at URI with the intention of becoming a teacher for life,” said Diane Fannon. “After teaching first grade for two years in Connecticut, my career path took a different turn when we moved to New York. But my belief in the importance of teaching and education never wavered. When we had the opportunity to meet Dean Dennis, it became clear that a research endowment, with its potential to influence education well into the future, would have the longest echo.”

The Fannons attended an informational session from College of Education Dean Danielle Dennis as part of a series of events for 50th reunion attendees. Along with a formal presentation, they were able to talk directly for a deeper dive on strategic initiatives.

“It started with a return to campus for our 50th reunion,” said Kent Fannon. “We heard the dean talk with such passion about the College and were inspired by her vision for the future. We immediately knew we wanted to help.”

While significantly supporting discoveries to improve teaching and learning, the fund will also help to attract top-tier faculty to URI.

“The Diane and Kent Fannon Education Research Endowment will have a profound impact on our College’s research mission,” said Dennis. “Faculty in the college engage in scholarship that directly benefits Rhode Island schools and educational organizations, as well as these entities around the world. This will provide faculty with much needed resources to seed new research and continue their impactful work.”

With this recent gift, Diane and Kent Fannon continue a long tradition of giving to URI. They have made a transformational gift for the creation of The Fannon Student Success Center as part of the renovation of Ballentine Hall for the College of Business, created two endowed scholarships focused on marketing and entrepreneurship, and endowed the College of Business Career Day. They have been actively involved through the years on the College of Business Advisory Council and the University of Rhode Island Foundation & Alumni Engagement Board. Each has received the University of Rhode Island Presidential Distinguished Achievement Award.

The Fannons live in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Diane retired as principal at The Richards Group, where she capped off an award-winning career in brand marketing, rising from copywriter to creative director, and then to executive vice president across a series of highly regarded firms. Kent retired as a partner at executive search firm Chartwell Partners, following a series of senior positions in publicly traded and private equity-owned healthcare companies. He began his career at American Airlines, Inc. Along with his degree from URI, he holds an MBA from the University of Chicago.

The Feinstein College of Education at the University of Rhode Island offers a range of bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral, and teacher certification programs. The College’s programs are certified through the Rhode Island Department of Education and the Association for Advancing Quality in Educator Preparation. It enrolls approximately 400 undergraduates and 200 graduate students per year, and its faculty have earned competitive national honors and worldwide recognition for their teaching and scholarship.