President Joe Biden announced more than $43 billion in federal funding to expand high-speed internet access across the country, marking the start of the largest-ever campaign to deliver reliable broadband to American families and small businesses.
Biden’s plan aims to remediate the “digital divide,” which refers to the gap between demographics that have access to modern information and communication technologies and those that do not. Though this is not a new effort, it has taken on new life since the pandemic, when America realized how vital internet connectivity is.
“It’s the biggest investment in high-speed internet ever,” said Biden, “because for today’s economy to work for everyone, internet access is just as important as electricity or water or other basic services.”
The government plans to dole out money over the next two years. The amount allocated to each state was decided based on the number of low-income families and businesses within the borders, totaling 8.5 million locations nationally. By 2030, Biden hopes to have delivered broadband to the entire country.
Some of the work will be up to the states, as they will need to devise plans for how to bring high-speed internet access to the communities that need it most. States such as Washington and West Virginia have already expressed their gratitude and urgency for the money, as a lack of connectivity is affecting people’s abilities to work and function in this technological age.
State broadband officials said that they will be watching to see how Biden’s efforts affect each state individually and to make sure that the money is truly serving those who need it most.
“We came out of the pandemic different than we were before,” said chairwoman of the Federal Communications Commission Jessica Rosenworcel in a statement. “For so long, we have clutched pearls and wrung our hands out over there not being broadband in rural communities… not we finally have the data and the dollars to do something about it.”
