A Roadmap for Digital Equity Across America

President Joe Biden (D) announced a milestone in the Internet for All funding from our $42 billion Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment—or BEAD—program. Florida will receive over $1.1 billion to bring high-speed Internet service to every home and business within its borders. However, it is not enough to simply deploy Internet infrastructure. A connection to a family’s home doesn’t help if that family can’t afford Internet service. And an affordable connection doesn’t help if they don’t have the devices, or the skills and know-how to be productive online, or if they can’t find content in the language that they speak. That is why I am so excited about NTIA’s Digital Equity Program, and the $2.75 billion in funding we will be distributing thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. That means in the next 3-4 years we will likely spend more on digital equity than has been spent by the government in the history of digital equity. I am thrilled to report that every state and territory has signed up to be part of our Digital Equity Program - we have 100 percent participation. Five years ago, there were states that hadn’t paid attention to anything like digital equity. Now, every state has committed to having a digital equity plan by the end of this year. And they have planning money in hand to make it happen. These plans must ensure that everyone has the skills and tools necessary to reap the full benefits of the digital economy.