The United States government has decided to invest $42 billion into delivering ubiquitous broadband access by 2030, seeking to address coverage identified by the Federal Communications Commission.
A statement by the Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) shows plans to fund the deployment of high-speed internet infrastructure in each state, territory and the District of Columbia through the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) programme, part of a $1 trillion infrastructure bill passed by Congress in 2021.
Allocations will range from $27 million to more than $3.3 billion, with each state receiving a minimum of $107 million.
Nineteen states will receive over $1 billion when funds are doled out on 30 June. Government information identified Alabama, California, Georgia, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri, North Carolina, Texas, Virginia and Washington as the top-ten areas in terms of the sums due.
Reuters reported that US President Joe Biden ranked broadband internet access alongside utilities, including electricity and water, in importance, telling the news agency the planned investment was the “biggest” in US history.
CTIA president and CEO Meredith Attwell Baker separately noted wireless is the fastest-growing home broadband technology in the nation, and the industry will partner with states “to maximize the use of their BEAD funds and close the digital divide”.
