The Treasury Department on Jan. 26 announced the approval of broadband projects totaling $793.7 million in four additional states under the American Rescue Plan’s Capital Projects Fund (CPF): Alabama, Kentucky, Nevada, and Texas.
Together, these states will use their funding to connect over 292,000 homes and businesses to affordable, high-speed internet, Treasury said in a press release.
“The pandemic upended life as we knew it and exposed the stark inequity in access to affordable and reliable high-speed internet in communities across the country, including rural, Tribal, and other underrepresented communities,” said the agency’s Deputy Secretary Wally Adeyemo.
He continued, adding, “This funding is a key piece of the Biden-Harris Administration’s historic investments to increase access to high-speed internet for millions of Americans and provide more opportunities to fully participate and compete in the 21st century economy.”
A key priority of CPF is to make funding available for broadband infrastructure, advancing President Biden’s goal of affordable, reliable, high-speed internet for all Americans.
The program is providing $10 billion to states, territories, freely associated states, and Tribal governments to fund critical capital projects that enable work, education, and health monitoring in response to the public health emergency. Treasury began announcing state awards in June of last year to work to close the digital divide – deploying high-speed internet to those without access and lowering costs for those who cannot afford it.
Treasury latest approvals are:
- Alabama will receive $191.9 million for broadband infrastructure for last-mile projects in rural areas of the state, which will connect 55,000 households and businesses to high-speed internet access;
- Kentucky will receive $182.8 million for broadband infrastructure to provide services to locations that currently have no internet service, followed by areas that lack access to fast internet service – which will connect 45,000 households and businesses to high-speed internet access;
- Nevada will receive $55.2 million for broadband infrastructure to fund broadband to and within low-income housing, which will connect over 40,000 households and businesses to high-speed internet access;
- Texas will receive $363.8 million for broadband infrastructure to fund last mile broadband projects in areas throughout the state. It will prioritize projects that serve historically socio-economically disadvantaged areas and offer affordable service options and digital literacy support – which will connect 152,000 households and businesses to high-speed internet access.
To date, 30 states have been approved to invest approximately $4.5 billion of CPF funding to reach more than 1.2 million locations.
