Feds Nearing Halfway Mark With $7.2 Billion Stimulus Funding

Federal regulators have distributed nearly half of the $7.2 billion in stimulus dollars set aside for extending broadband's reach, particularly to rural areas, with investments in 270 projects nationwide, according to a report released July 14 by the Council of Economic Advisors.

All fifty states and a few territories have received a total of $3.1 billion distributed by the Commerce Department's National Telecommunications and Information Administration and the Agriculture Department's Rural Utilities Service. Most of the NTIA stimulus money distributed so far ($1.7 billion) will be spent on building and improving 50,000 miles of broadband infrastructure for underserved communities, the report says. The RUS, which already has spent $1.4 billion, is focused on expanding high-speed Internet access in rural areas.