Computer World reports that broadband and computer training centers around the country are helping workers make the transition into an Internet economy:

“The broadband stimulus program wasn't created just to deploy broadband in underserved rural areas – it was also designed to create education centers to help train more people in how to use the Web.”Read more

The Massachusetts eHealth Institute has begun offering Health IT consulting services to doctors and small practices and expects more than 600 participants to have signed up by the end of next week.

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The Boston Globe takes an in-depth look at local community centers that have been transformed after a $1.9 million broadband stimulus grant. The project transformed a single center with 15 antiquated desktop computers to several cutting edge locations with 627 new computers across 15 similar locations, linking 190 facilities across the city. Over the next two years, the centers are expected to serve 18,000 users per week.

“I am proud of the city’s effort to take an innovative, multiagency approach to effectively address the crucial need of digital inclusion for all of our underserved residents,’’ Mayor Thomas M. Menino said in a statement.

Read more about the project here.

As the latest round of broadband stimulus funds continue to make their way to 66 projects across all 50 states, we’re taking a look at some of the new high-speed Internet access and adoption efforts getting underway:

Indiana: The Zayo Group is working on a $25 million project to expand broadband access to 80 rural communities. Zayo President John Sarcano said the grants will “go a long way to enabling, literally, distance learning in earnest, distance medicine in earnest. Those sorts of things really improve quality of life, in my own judgment, in a way that we genuinely enjoy being a part of.” Read more about the project here.

Maine: The Maine State Library has received a $1.36 million grant to expand broadband access and education at 107 state public libraries.  “The Maine State Library project is an important step forward in enabling all Maine residents — especially those in currently underserved areas — to have access to broadband technology and services,” Gov. John E. Baldacci said. “High speed Internet access is vital to expand our educational opportunities and workforce development and is an important way to connect Mainers to information and services. By connecting Maine people and businesses to high-speed broadband – students, workers, families and companies – Maine will be able to compete for business and jobs now and into the future.” Read more about the project here.

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Today’s announced broadband investments from the White House will bring expanded high-speed access and adoption to all 50 states. Here is a look at some of the specific projects getting underway in conjunction with the new round of public-private investments:

Colorado: $5.2 million will go toward a project in the north-central region of the state, bringing broadband access to about 200 businesses and 1,000 residents through the Nunn Telephone Co. "Expanding Internet access is a 21st-century version of Roosevelt's rural electrification program or Eisenhower's interstate highway system," Commerce Secretary Gary Locke said. Read more here.

Massachusetts: $45.4 million will go toward a broadband access project in rural parts of Western Massachusetts. The state will produce $26.2 million in matching funds, to help build more than 1,300 miles of fiber cable, which could reach up to 1 million residents, 44,000 businesses and 700 community centers. The project is expected to create several hundred jobs. “I cannot overstate the value of this project for the communities of Western and North-Central Massachusetts that have gone without reliable high speed broadband service for too long,” Governor Deval L. Patrick said in a statement. Read more here.

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Several more states have launched broadband expansion projects designed to build-up high-speed Internet infrastructure and access. Here is a look at some of the new efforts getting underway:

Massachusetts: The town of Florida voted to partner with 47 other communities on a broadband infrastructure expansion project with WiredWest. Read more here.

Oklahoma: The state plans to improve its broadband services through a combination of public-private partnerships. The first stage is a statewide broadband mapping project, where citizens can test their broadband speeds and collect data on where services are available. The second phase is a major set of broadband infrastructure and access expansion projects. Read BroadbandBreakfast.com’s full coverage here.

Texas: The Coalition of Health Services, the Amarillo Area Foundation and AMA TechTel Communications have proposed a public-private broadband expansion project that would build 1,422 miles of fiber, connecting 27 public health institutions and 123 public institutions, including schools, local governments and economic development organizations. Read more here.

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