Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds Program

More reliable and higher quality internet could be coming to Fort Worth’s (TX) underserved areas. The Fort Worth City Council approved a $7.5 million, 34-year contract with Dallas-based Sprocket Networks for broadband infrastructure. The contract authorizes the installation of an approximately 300-mile network to connect residents and businesses with internet in locations designated as underserved. Around 17 percent of residents in Fort Worth don’t have access to high-speed internet and 8 percent have no internet access at all.

Governor John Carney (D-DE) joined state leaders and representatives of Comcast, Verizon, Mediacom, and the Communication Workers of America (CWA) at the Innovation Technology Exploration Center to celebrate progress on broadband expansion and preview next steps.

The Missouri Department of Economic Development (DED) awarded a total of $12 million through the Cell Towers Grant Program for 29 projects. Grant awards will be used to construct new towers that provide quality cellular service and greater 911 connectivity to high-cost areas. The program, funded through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), is focused on investing in the expansion of cellular service statewide.

Having a high-speed internet connection—and the ability to use it—is critical to modern life. One major challenge persists: we can run fiber broadband to every home in North Carolina, but if the residents can’t afford the service, they still risk being left behind. Fortunately, Congress created a tremendously impactful tool to combat the high costs of internet service as part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act: the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP). I urge you to reauthorize this critical program that makes internet access more affordable.

A $580,000 Windstream public–private partnership in Throckmorton (TX) has the provider’s Kinetic gigabit fiber broadband service available to public schools and 650 homes and businesses in the small city. The bulk of the financing—$420,000—is being provided by Windstream. The balance is coming from the Throckmorton Collegiate Independent School District’s operating budget ($20,000), the City of Throckmorton ($70,000) and Throckmorton County ($70,000).

The Secretary of the Treasury issued an interim final rule to implement the amendments made by the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 with respect to the Coronavirus State Fiscal Recovery Fund and the Coronavirus Local Fiscal Recovery Fund established under the American Rescue Plan Act. Since the launch of the SLFRF program, Treasury has disbursed 99.99 percent of SLFRF funds to approximately 30,000 state, local, and ribal governments, and these recipients have moved swiftly to deploy this funding in their communities.

Georgia has found a way to get bids for, and ultimately service to, its most unserved areas. Georgia’s Deputy State Chief Information Officer and Executive Director of the Georgia Broadband Program, Jessica Simmons, said the state's Capital Projects Fund (CPF) program, funded by the federal American Rescue Plan Act,  enabled its success.

The Oklahoma Broadband Office (OBO) is launching an open process for internet service providers (ISPs) to compete for $374 million in America Rescue Plan Act (APRA) State and Local Fiscal Recovery (SLFR) Funds to expand access to reliable and affordable high-speed internet service in Oklahoma. The OBO released a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the program.

altafiber's gigabit broadband service is available to most single-family homes and business addresses in the Kentucky counties of Boone, Campbell, and Kenton. The projects were made possible through altafiber (formerly known as Cincinnati Bell) public-private partnerships that were announced in 2021: 

A $10.3 million public-private partnership between Chattooga County (GA) and fiber provider Windstream will provide broadband access to 3,400 addresses in the county. Key communities covered by the agreement, which will feature 320 miles of fiber cable, are Summerville, Trion, Lyerly, and Menlo. The partnership includes $3.1 million from the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds Program, which is part of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). Windstream will invest $7.2 million and cover cost overruns. Work on the project is expected to be completed in 2024.