Biden-⁠Harris Administration Kicks off Infrastructure Week by Highlighting Tremendous Progress Rebuilding America’s Infrastructure 18 Months In

President Joe Biden (D-DE) signed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA)  18 months ago. To date, the Administration has announced over $220 billion in IIJA funding, including over 32,000 specific projects and awards, across over 4,500 communities in all 50 states, DC, and territories. To implement the law, agencies have now hired over 5,000 federal employees, and states and territories have appointed infrastructure coordinators to facilitate clear communication and coordination with the federal government. Key projects are moving forward across the country – many of which had been waiting decades on the sidelines. The IIJA invests $65 billion to help ensure that every American has access to affordable, reliable high-speed internet through a historic commitment to broadband adoption and infrastructure deployment. Since IIJA’s passage, the Administration has worked to streamline the portfolio of complementary programs into a two-pronged strategy that focused most specifically on affordability and access and deployment. The Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) is the centerpiece of the Administration’s affordability work. Currently, 17.9 million households have enrolled in the ACP, with more enrolling every day. The Federal Communications Commission has allocated $100 million for paid media and grants to organizations to do ACP outreach, the first $73 million of grants of which was announced last month. On deployment, the Department of Commerce and Department of Agriculture are coordinating a joint effort to announce $1.7 billion in grants for rural broadband, $1 billion for Middle Mile high-speed Internet infrastructure, and state allocations for the $42.5 billion state grant program.  Commerce has also awarded 147 Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program (TBCP) grants, totaling more than $1.76 billion, and serving over 210 Tribal Governments, with additional awards expected in the coming week (May 15-19). The IIJA also invests more than $13 billion directly to Tribal communities to provide affordable high-speed internet, safer roads and bridges, modern wastewater and sanitations systems, clean drinking water, reliable and affordable electricity, and good paying jobs.