Global Courant
The government estimates that there are about 8.5 million locations in the US that do not have access to broadband connections.
The White House has revealed how the administration will distribute $42 billion to the 50 US states to expand access to high-speed broadband by 2030, while launching a new publicity campaign for President Joe Biden’s economic policies.
The $42 billion in federal funding under the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program is based on a recently released Federal Communications Commission coverage map that details gaps in access, the White House said Monday.
Texas and California — the two most populous states in the US — top the funding list with $3.1 billion and $1.9 billion, respectively. But other less populous states like Virginia, Alabama and Louisiana cracked the top 10 list for funding due to a lack of broadband access.
“It is the largest investment in high-speed internet ever. Because for today’s economy to work for everyone, internet access is just as important as electricity, or water, or any other basic services,” Biden said in a speech at the White House on Monday.
Each state will receive a minimum of $107 million.
The move heralds the second leg of Biden’s tour, highlighting how legislation passed by Congress in the first half of his term will affect the average American as his 2024 reelection bid accelerates.
“We have a historic opportunity here to really make a difference in people’s lives, and making sure we live up to that potential is what we stand for every day and to make sure people feel that at their kitchen table, in their community, in their backyard,” said White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients.
Zients compared the broadband effort to President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s 1936 effort to bring electricity to rural America. The government estimates that there are about 8.5 million locations in the US that do not have access to broadband connections.
Broadband companies such as Verizon, Comcast, Charter Communications and AT&T have been reluctant to provide access to low-density rural communities because the investment is expensive and the regions do not offer many subscribers. The lack of broadband access drew attention during the COVID-19 pandemic shutdowns that forced students into online education.
States are expected to submit initial plans later this year that unlock 20 percent of funding. Once the plans are finalized, which could take until 2025, the government will release the remaining funds.
Biden also plans to deliver what White House officials describe as a major economic speech called “Bidenomics” in Chicago on Wednesday, according to a memo from senior advisers Anita Dunn and Mike Donilon to congressional Democrats and other allies.
The speech will focus on Biden’s efforts to build the economy by focusing on the middle class and not the wealthy. The advisers noted that the economy has added more than 13 million jobs since Biden took office, including nearly 800,000 manufacturing jobs.
