A State-Sized Tsunami of Federal Funding

The unprecedented stimulus funding authorized by the federal government illustrates a strong willingness to leverage taxpayer dollars to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact. A cursory look at key programs coming through the Treasury reveals that approximately $519 billion has been or will be released to address the economic, social, and infrastructural fall-out caused by the pandemic. Part of this “state-sized tsunami of federal funding” is intended to enable the expansion of broadband access to unserved and underserved populations across local, state, and tribal jurisdictions. Updates to the rules and guidance issued by the Treasury on possible broadband deployment programs further widen the potential reach and overall impact of federal support. That potential will only be reached, however,  if state and local leaders can build a deep understanding of existing connectivity issues and think creatively as well as communally about how to utilize these funds. The first thing to understand is the breakdown of the stimulus funding. US Ignite provides a quick summary of how much each stimulus fund is allocated to states, territories, and local units of government, along with the broadband-related use mentioned in the Treasury’s program guidance.