White House announces $42.45 billion to support broadband access

WASHINGTON (CN) — When Jeff Say moved to a rural part of central Virginia two years ago, he was told internet access wouldn’t be a problem.

But then service providers said their lines ended a half-mile from his house and that extending the infrastructure would cost tens of thousands of dollars. He’s been forced to constantly take his children to work or the library to do their homework.

“Every aspect of our daily life has now been seemingly touched by internet access,” he said.

Say told his story at the White House on Monday as the Biden administration announced $42.45 billion in grants to expand access to affordable, high-speed internet service.

The funding is allocated through the Commerce Department’s Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program, which was approved by Congress under the infrastructure law passed in 2021. All 50 states, the District of Columbia and the five inhabited territories will receive money from the program.

Nineteen states were awarded more than $1 billion each, with Texas leading the way at $3.3 billion followed by California at $1.8 billion and Missouri at $1.74 billion. State governments will use the money to administer their own grant programs.

The White House compared the program to the New Deal’s Rural Electrification Act that expanded electricity throughout the country in the 1930s. President Joe Biden called it an “equally historic investment.”

“For today’s economy to work for everyone, internet access is just as important as electricity,” he said. “These investments will help all Americans. We’re not going to leave anybody behind.”

Vice President Kamala Harris said the Covid-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of internet access.

“In the 21st century in America, high-speed internet is not a luxury, it is a necessity,” she said.

The White House touted the funding for supporting connectivity throughout the country by 2030. Senator Edward Markey, whose state of Massachusetts received $147.4 million, praised the steps being taken to “close the digital divide.”

“From the Berkshires to the Cape, this federal funding will help Massachusetts’s unserved and underserved households stay connected with loved ones, apply for jobs, and access health care and other online resources,” Markey said in a press release.

Officials also noted the program’s economic impacts by highlighting two fiber optic cable manufacturers, CommScope and Corning, that announced expansions in North Carolina in anticipation of the investment.

“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,” Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said in a press release. “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.”

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