A $300 million down payment on Internet For All

NTIA ended 2022 by awarding $304 million in funding to every state, along with Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico, for planning how to best deploy networks to connect everyone in America to affordable, reliable, high-speed Internet service. Each state has different needs and unique challenges in bridging the digital divide, and our planning grants recognize the importance of flexibility. Still, there are broad trends driving the ways states are putting this money to use:

• Understanding the digital divide – States are using the funding to identify unserved and underserved locations within their borders. That means finding areas that don’t have access to the Internet at speeds of 25/3 Mbps (unserved) or 100/20 Mbps (underserved).
• Beefing up broadband offices – All 50 states have a broadband office or program now, but many are using federal funding to add staff and capacity. State broadband offices will often be the key decision-makers in how each state will design its funding programs.
• Investing in inclusion – It's not enough to simply build the networks. States are making sure those networks are inclusive by investing in digital equity. That work includes surveying communities to better understand the barriers underrepresented groups face to Internet adoption, making draft plans available for public input, creating a challenge process for communities that feel they’ve been improperly excluded, and maintaining auditable records of engagement with local communities and key stakeholders.

The NTIA expects to announce how much states will receive in funding for the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program by June 30, 2023.