Biden-Harris Administration Awards More Than $5.6 Million to Utah in ‘Internet for All’ Planning Grants

The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) announced that Utah received its first “Internet for All” grants for deploying high-speed Internet networks and developing digital skills training programs under the Biden-Harris Administration’s Internet for All initiative. Utah is receiving $5,676,684.53 in funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, signed by President Biden, to plan for the deployment and adoption of affordable, equitable, and reliable high-speed Internet service throughout the state. For the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program, Utah will receive $5 million to fund various activities including:

• Identification of unserved and underserved locations;
• Training employees of Utah’s broadband program and increasing office capacity;
• Asset mapping across Utah to catalogue high-speed Internet service adoption, affordability, equity, access and deployment;
• Development of “All Utah, All Online” project, a 5-year action plan supported by the precise assessment of current Internet service speeds and a better understanding of barriers.

For Digital Equity Act planning efforts, Utah will receive $676,684.53 to fund various activities including:

• Development of a statewide digital equity plan;
• Building digital access program capacity;
• Provision of funding to create local digital equity plans.