American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA)
Georgia, Virginia, and Pennsylvania sound off on broadband funding challenges
States are poised to play a critical role in the broadband funding landscape, but each state has a different approach to selecting broadband projects and administering funds.
House Commerce Republicans Demand Accountability on Biden’s Massive Spending and Inflation Agenda
House Commerce Committee Chair Cathy Rodgers (R-WA) and Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations Chair Morgan Griffith (R-VA), along with the chairs of the subcommittee of jurisdiction, wrote letters to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Department of Energy (DOE), Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), requesting a full accounting of how they’ve spent taxpayer dollars. The Chairs specifically requested funding information from: the American Rescue Plan Act, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Ac
Kansas Gets $15 Million in Digital Equity Funds from Treasury
The US Treasury Department awarded Kansas $15 million for digital equity work, with the money going toward public Wi-Fi, digital skills training, and more. In addition, 20 other states have applied for digital equity funding from the same source, with other awards expected to be made soon. “Kansas is just the first of many more to come,” said Joseph Wender director of the Treasury Department's Capital Projects Fund (CPF), which is part of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).
US Treasury has doled out nearly $5B from Capital Projects Fund
Much of the hype around broadband funding is focused on the $42.5 billion Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program, but money continues to flow from the Capital Projects Fund (CPF). To date, the US Treasury Department has awarded nearly $5 billion from the CPF across 33 states. That amount is almost half of the Treasury Department’s $10 billion allotment for the fund. States that have received funding thus far expect to connect 1.4 million households as a result. The CPF was created in March 2021, but Treasury only began approving state funding requests June 2022.
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Chairwoman Rosenworcel Keynote Address to Mobile World Congress
Three things we are doing at the Federal Communications Commission right now to help get us to the next generation of innovation around the globe.
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Vice President Harris Announces Progress in Lowering Internet Costs for Families, Funding to Expand High Speed Internet Access
Vice President Kamala Harris (D-CA) highlighted the impact of American Rescue Plan Act and Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act investments to date while announcing new milestones in the effort to increase access to affordable, reliable, high-speed internet and close the digital divide including:
Martin County (MN) funds rural broadband
The Martin County, MN, Board of Commissioners has authorized a historic $1.5 million of funding for rural broadband development assistance.
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Broadband is Part of Wyoming's Strategy to Survive, Drive, and Thrive
In his State of the State Address to the 65th Wyoming Legislature on January 9, 2019—just two days after he was sworn in as Wyoming’s 33rd governor—Mark Gordon (R-WY) outlined his top priorities: fiscal discipline, economic development, and improving Wyoming people’s quality of life. “I support the ongoing effort to improve access to broadband internet coverage throughout the state," he said.
Consolidated Communications Awarded $40 Million in Grants to Aid in Building Fiber to 57,000 Homes in New Hampshire
Consolidated Communications was awarded $40 million in funding from American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) to build fiber to nearly 25,000 unserved homes throughout New Hampshire. Consolidated will invest its own capital to bring fiber to more than 32,000 additional homes.
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Robust, Resilient, Broadband Infrastructure for Arizona
Educational excellence. A 21st century economy. Protecting communities. Fiscal responsibility. Happy and healthy citizens.