Delaware

Governor John Carney (D) and the Delaware Department of Technology and Information (DTI) Delaware Broadband Office (DBO) proposed $17.4 million in competitive grant funding awards to two internet service providers to extend broadband service to more than 5,600 unserved and underserved homes and businesses throughout Delaware. Through an open and competitive process following two years of federal planning and approvals, DBO received a total of 21 proposals from five internet service providers to provide service to eight grant areas across the state.

The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) today has approved and recommended for award applications from Delaware, Louisiana, Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Puerto Rico allowing them to request access to more than $68 million to implement their Digital Equity Plans. This funding comes from the $1.44 billion State Digital Equity Capacity Grant Program, one of three Digital Equity Act grant programs created by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The awards received are:

Delaware’s goal for broadband deployment is to be the first state to deliver universal broadband—that is, to ensure an affordable high-speed internet connection to all homes and businesses. Affordability is the second most common reason for nonsubscription cited by Delawarean households who do not purchase home internet service—ranking above a lack of need for or interest in service, and slightly below service not being available. The struggle of some Delaware residents to afford broadband services, devices, and technical support restricts their ability to fully engage in the digital world.

The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has approved the District of Columbia, Delaware and Washington state’s Initial Proposals for the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program, a cornerstone of the Biden-Harris Administration’s “Internet for All” initiative. This approval will enable the District of Columbia, Delaware and Washington to request access to funding and begin implementation of the BEAD program—a major step towards closing the digital divide and meeting the President’s goal of connecting everyone in America w

The Delaware Broadband Initiative hit a major milestone when its State Digital Equity Plan was formally federally approved, making the state officially eligible for millions in funding to execute it. The Digital Equity Plan was developed over months of stakeholder engagement, public meetings, surveys, polls and a public comment period. Delaware now expects to receive about $12 million in federal Digital Equity Act funds under the Internet for All initiative.

The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has accepted Delaware’s Digital Equity plan. The Digital Equity Act, part of the Internet for All initiative and a key piece of President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda, provides $2.75 billion to establish three grant programs that promote digital equity and inclusion. The program aims to ensure that all people and communities have the skills, technology, and capacity needed to reap the full benefits of our digital economy.

Delaware seeks to promote digital equity to ensure that all residents, regardless of their background or location, have equal opportunities to access education, health care, job prospects, government services, and information critical to personal growth and well-being.