September 2023

The Utah Broadband Center (UBC), part of the Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity, asks for public feedback on Utah’s draft of the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Initial Proposal Volume 1. The total funding allocation for Utah is $317.4 million, which will be distributed to various broadband projects through a competitive grant process. To ensure the greatest impact for Utahns, community members and stakeholders are encouraged to provide input to the state’s proposed process to identify areas needing broadband service.

A 2020 study found that 18% of people living on tribal lands did not have access to high-speed internet, which far surpasses the 4% of people who live in nontribal areas who lack access. Furthermore, the cost of a monthly internet plan continues to be a challenge for low-income communities nationwide, especially those on tribal lands. While major investments are being made to build the infrastructure needed to deliver broadband access, including on tribal lands, another barrier to everyone actually adopting high-speed internet at home is still prevalent, and that's affordability.