[ad_1]
The US Treasury Division on Tuesday selected four states that would be the first to faucet into the Coronavirus Capital Projects Fund (CPF), a $10 billion fund for broadband infrastructure and different digital connectivity tasks.
The preliminary spherical of funding from the CPF, totaling $583 million, will go to tasks in Louisiana, New Hampshire, Virginia and West Virginia. All advised, the primary funding spherical ought to carry high-speed web to greater than 200,000 houses.
The state plans are meant to ship dependable web service that meets or exceeds symmetrical obtain and add speeds of 100 megabits per second (Mbps), in order that a number of folks in a single family can concurrently use the web for telework, digital schooling or digital well being monitoring.
Louisiana is slated to obtain $176.7 million to enhance connectivity at almost 88,500 houses and companies that at the moment lack entry to web at speeds of 25/3 Mbps. Louisiana estimates that the brand new funding ought to shut the digital divide for about 25% of all areas missing high-speed web entry within the state.
New Hampshire’s preliminary award of $50 million will serve about 15,000 houses and companies in rural and distant areas, representing roughly 50% of areas within the state that lack entry to high-speed web.
Virginia, in the meantime, will obtain $219.8 million to broaden last-mile broadband entry to an estimated 76,873 areas — roughly 28% of the areas within the state that lack entry to high-quality broadband service.
West Virginia is receiving $136.3 million to serve 20,000 areas, or roughly 10% of areas within the state that lack entry to high-speed web.
Congress accredited the CPF as a part of the American Rescue Plan, the $1.9 trillion stimulus bundle handed final yr in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Individually, President Biden’s $1 trillion infrastructure package included greater than $65 billion to construct out broadband networks. That funding allocation included a $14 billion program to subsidize consumers’ internet bills.
[ad_2]
Source link