By Corinne Murdock |
Arizona has received another round of federal funding to establish universal high-speed internet: a total of $993 million.
On Monday, the Biden administration announced $42.45 billion in infrastructure funding to establish high-speed internet to all households in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the five territories. The Biden administration dubbed the initiative the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) program.
Arizona ranked 20th in terms of receiving the most funding. Texas far surpassed other states in its award for funding: over $3.3 billion. The state with the second-highest award was California at over $1.8 billion. The remaining top-20 recipients for federal funding received anywhere from $1 to $1.7 billion.
In a press release, the White House noted that the federal funding represented the initiation of an “Administration-Wide Investing in America Tour.” The press release wasn’t without bugs: the first link in the announcement was faulty as of press time.
Users attempting to follow the Biden administration’s link were met with an “Access Denied” error message on the Biden administration’s independent website for its Internet for All initiative. The page was intended to offer information about the BEAD program as well as total federal investment in high-speed internet throughout all 50 states and the territories.
The White House press release also claimed that over 8.5 million households and small businesses exist in areas without high-speed internet. The Biden administration compared the BEAD program to Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s initiative to bring electricity to all homes through the Rural Electrification Act.
The Biden administration promised that the $42.45 billion investment would assure total internet coverage by 2030.
The tens of billions only account for part of total spending on expanding mass internet accessibility issued just earlier this month.
The Biden administration awarded $714 million through the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), of which Arizona’s Colorado River Indian Tribes received $25 million to benefit just under 2,000 people, 41 businesses, three farms, and four educational facilities in La Paz County. Additionally, the administration gave nearly $3.5 million to provide fiber cable internet to 24 people and one farm in Coconino County. The administration also awarded $930 million through the U.S. Department of Commerce.
In order to encourage usage of the infrastructure, the Biden administration arranged a deal with internet providers to ensure discounted internet. Regular households receive a discounted rate of up to $30 per month, while tribal households receive a discount of up to $75 per month through the $14.2 billion Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) Affordable Connectivity Program.
There are nine other federal programs dedicated to establishing high-speed internet everywhere in addition to the FCC program: the Broadband Infrastructure Program ($288 million), Capital Projects Fund ($10 billion), Connecting Minority Communities Program ($268 million), Digital Equity Act Programs ($2.75 billion spread across three grant programs), Enabling Middle Mile Broadband Infrastructure Program ($1 billion), ReConnect Loan and Grant Program ($1.9 billion), State Digital Equity Planning Grant Program ($300 million), and Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program ($3 billion).
Altogether, these nine programs total over $33.7 billion. Biden was authorized to use up to $65 billion for broadband through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act signed in November 2021. There’s also $25 billion allocated for internet through the American Rescue Plan.
Nearly all of the nine programs have an equity focus, prioritizing certain communities over others.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
