Adoption is at the Heart of Florida’s Broadband Internet Policies

In May 2021, the Florida Legislature passed the Florida Broadband Deployment Act of 2021, codifying the Florida Office of Broadband, which had been created in the previous year within the state's Department of Economic Opportunity. The law provided the office access to federal grant dollars and allocated $1.5 million for the office to develop geographic information system (GIS) maps of Florida’s broadband availability. On June 30, 2022, Florida's Department of Economic Opportunity submitted the Florida Strategic Plan for Broadband to Governor Ron DeSantis (R-FL) and the state legislature detailing the goals and strategies to improve and expand broadband Internet connectivity in the state. The plan focuses on increasing broadband availability, adoption, and use to yield a more robust workforce, enhanced educational opportunities, and healthier Floridians. The plan also promotes economic growth, workforce education and job training, and workforce housing, particularly in rural, unserved, and underserved areas of the state.