How the Capital Projects Fund Can Help Your State Close the Digital Divide

On July 14, the U.S. Department of the Treasury approved the plans of Kansas, Maine, Maryland, and Minnesota to use Coronavirus Capital Projects Fund support to help close the digital divide. Combined with the approval of Louisiana's, New Hampshire's, Virginia's, and West Virginia's plans in June, Treasury has announced nearly $1 billion in support to connect nearly 250,000 locations in the eight states. The Benton Institute for Broadband & Society has been taking a closer look at how the Capital Projects Fund support fits into the overall universal broadband plans of each state since they all have their own approach to closing the digital divide. Elements of these states' efforts could be incorporated into other states' plans as they consider how to employ federal dollars to achieve universal broadband access. So far Treasury has approved states' plans that use less than $1 billion of the $10 billion Capital Projects Fund. States must submit their plans to Treasury by September 24, 2022. Even any of the eight states above that have not submitted plans for their full use of Capital Projects Fund support have until this deadline to submit plans for the remainder of their funds.