Treasury Announces Five Additional Capital Projects Fund Awards to Increase Access to Affordable, High-Speed Internet

Connecticut, Indiana, Nebraska, North Dakota, and Arkansas won approval from the Department of the Treasury to use Coronavirus Capital Projects Fund allocations to support broadband infrastructure designed, upon project completion, to deliver reliable internet service that meets or exceeds symmetrical download and upload speeds of 100 megabits per second (Mbps), speeds that are needed for a household with multiple users to simultaneously access the internet to telework and access education and health monitoring. Treasury designed its guidance to prioritize connecting families and business with poor and inadequate service—particularly those in rural and remote areas. Treasury also requires states to explain why communities they have identified to be served with funds from the CPF have a critical need for those projects. The following descriptions summarize the five state’s plans that Treasury approved:

1. Arkansas, approved for $47.5 million estimates it will connect 5,500 homes and businesses by building high-speed internet service in rural and remote areas lacking reliable internet connections. The Arkansas Rural Connect (ARC) grant program is a competitive grant program designed to fund broadband infrastructure projects in locations throughout Arkansas without reliable internet of at least 100/20 Mbps. Areas in Arkansas eligible for CPF funding through this program are generally less densely populated, more rural and have higher numbers of socioeconomically disadvantaged residents. CPF investments will support the state’s goal of closing the digital divide.
2. Connecticut, approved for $40.8 million estimates it will connect 10,000 homes and businesses to affordable high-speed internet by focusing on low-income and multi-family home and business and areas lacking reliable high-speed internet connections. The Connecticut Broadband Infrastructure Program, a competitive grant program, will fund broadband infrastructure designed to deliver service that supports the statewide goal of universal access to affordable, resilient, and reliable internet access.
3. Indiana, approved for $187 million estimates it will connect 50,349 homes and businesses to affordable, reliable high-speed internet services. Indiana’s Next Level Connections Broadband Grant Program (NLC) is a competitive grant program, designed to provide funding to extend broadband infrastructure and service to areas and locations currently lacking access to at least 25/3 Mbps. Indiana designed NLC to incentivize service to school buildings, rural health clinics, and households with students.
4. Nebraska, approved for $87.7 million estimates it will connect 21,000 homes and businesses to affordable, reliable high-speed internet services. The Nebraska Broadband Bridge Program, a competitive grant program, will award grants for broadband infrastructure. The program is designed to reach areas without access to reliable, affordable high-speed internet infrastructure, especially the state’s rural areas. Additionally, the program requires applications for underserved areas to develop and submit a digital inclusion plan to describe how the most disadvantaged members of the community will access the services provided.
5. North Dakota, approved for $45 million estimates it will connect 3,965 homes and businesses to affordable, reliable high-speed internet service. The program aims to provide sustainable, future-proof connectivity to areas in the state lacking connectivity of at least 100/20 Mbps, including tribal lands. The state plans to collaborate with tribal organizations to identify solutions to address specific connectivity needs.