Kansas aims to win new businesses and residents with 2030 broadband goal

With an influx of federal funding for broadband development, the Kansas governor's office is championing a goal to have the state among the leaders in high-speed internet access by the end of the decade. "We understand how high the stakes are," said Lieutenant Gov and Commerce Secretary David Toland (D-KS). "We are in a race as a state against other states, and we want to win that race so that we can win new residents, we can win new businesses and we can retain the ones that we have." Toland said Gov Laura Kelly (D-KS)'s administration will soon release the state's first strategic plan for broadband expansion. The newly announced long-term goal is to put Kansas's broadband access in the top 10 of the 50 states by 2030. While federal funds from the recent infrastructure bill are determined, the state's Office of Broadband Development is starting another round of grant funding with $5 million in state money.