Nevada advances on broadband expansion, despite state law

Nevada is working to distribute its biggest-ever investment in broadband infrastructure in conjunction with local communities, despite state laws restricting municipalities and counties from providing telecommunications services. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), which is administering the Broadband, Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program, wants municipal broadband providers to have access to these funds. But Nevada is one of 17 states with laws limiting the expansion of municipal broadband networks. While the NTIA is encouraging these states to relax laws prohibiting municipal broadband networks, Nevada is not pursuing any changes in state law, said Brian Mitchell, director of Nevada’s Technology Office. The state is, however, engaging with local communities as much as possible, including through bi-monthly meetings with community-led broadband teams. Over the next five years, Nevada’s Office of Science, Innovation, and Technology plans to expand fiber networks statewide so everyone can access affordable, reliable, and fast internet through the High-Speed NV initiative. The first phase of the initiative will focus on expanding high-speed internet access to more than 1,000 state and local government facilities, schools, and libraries that have been identified as having limited or unreliable internet access. A total of $192 million from the state’s Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds, provided as part of the American Rescue Plan (ARPA), are to be distributed during the first phase. A further $200 million, from BEAD, will be distributed in the second phase of the project, which will focus on expanding high-speed internet access to homes and businesses. The state estimates that more than 450,000 households lack high-speed internet access lack access to high-speed internet.