Two States Tally Up Broadband Funding Applications: Available Budget Comes Up Short

Add California and Wisconsin to the growing list of states whose broadband funding programs have received applications seeking considerably more funding than the program has available. California’s Federal Funding Account received 484 applications requesting $4.6 billion, which is more than double the $2 billion budgeted for the program. Awards are used to fund last mile infrastructure projects. Every county applied for funding. The state also provided information about applications made to two other broadband programs, the Broadband Adoption Account and the Infrastructure Grant Account, both of which appear to have sufficient funding, depending on how many funding rounds are conducted. The state of Wisconsin received 124 applications requesting $221.6 million from the state’s Broadband Infrastructure Grant Program, which has $42 million available from the federal Capital Projects Fund to award in that program.