Iowa Leaders Stress Opportunity of Internet Funding Influx

An influx of federal funding for high-speed internet expansion has created an opportunity in Iowa that must be met, agriculture and business leaders in Iowa said during a June 29 roundtable discussion with Andrew Berke, the special representative for broadband with the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). Iowa's discussion was the 21st such event in as many states that he has participated in, he said, as states prepare for how to spend $42 billion from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to expand high-speed, broadband internet access to underserved areas. Just how much of that federal money Iowa will receive has yet to be determined. Rural high-speed internet in Iowa long has been a priority for politicians on both sides of the aisle. Farmers need fast and reliable internet for precision agriculture, and more recently the need became even more pronounced during the pandemic as school kids switched to online instruction, people turned to telehealth to see their doctors and more employees worked from home. Berke said a formula has been established to determine how much each state will receive from the federal aid, based on each state's needs to expand broadband internet access to underserved areas. He said once states are awarded their share of the funding, they will have nine months to create a federally-approved plan and up to four years to complete the expansion projects.