$40 Bln To Connect All Americans To Affordable High-Speed Internet

$40 Bln To Connect All Americans To Affordable High-Speed Internet

June 27, 2023

President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have kicked off the next phase of the Administration’s Investing in America tour with a major high-speed internet infrastructure announcement at the White House.

Biden announced funding for all U.S. states for high-speed internet infrastructure deployment through the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) program — a $42.45 billion grant program created in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and administered by the Department of Commerce.

This marks the largest internet funding announcement in U.S. history.

During the three-week Administration-wide Investing in America tour, the President, the Vice President, First Lady Jill Biden, Cabinet members, and Senior Administration Officials will travel across the country to highlight investments, jobs, and projects under Biden’s economic agenda.

Awards range from $27 million to more than $3.3 Billion.

19 states received allocations over $1 billion with the top 10 allocations in Alabama, California, Georgia, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri, North Carolina, Texas, Virginia and Washington.

The BEAD funding will be used to deploy or upgrade broadband networks to ensure that all 50 states, DC, and the territories have access to reliable, affordable, high-speed Internet service by 2030.

“What this announcement means for people across the country is that if you don’t have access to quality, affordable high-speed Internet service now – you will, thanks to President Biden and his commitment to investing in America,” said Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, who attended the White House event. “Whether it’s connecting people to the digital economy, manufacturing fiber-optic cable in America, or creating good paying jobs building Internet infrastructure in the states, the investments we’re announcing will increase our competitiveness and spur economic growth across the country for years to come,” she added.

Source: Read Full Article