Department of Commerce’s Use of Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal Funding to Help Close the Digital Divide

$48 billion of that funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal is being allocated to the Commerce Department’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) through the following programs:

• $42.45 billion in grants to states (including the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico), and territories focused on funding high-speed broadband deployment to households and businesses that currently lack access to such services.
• $2 billion for Tribal broadband grants, giving tribes the opportunity to determine how best to meet the broadband needs of their own communities.
• $2.75 billion to fund Digital Equity through three grant programs that will promote digital inclusion and equity for communities that lack the skills, technologies and support needed to take advantage of broadband connections.
• $1 billion for middle-mile connections to build a high-speed backbone for communities, businesses, and anchor institutions.