U.S. President Joe Biden has committed to allocating $42 billion towards ensuring high-speed broadband access to every household in the country within the next seven years. During a speech at the White House, Biden emphasized the significance of this “historic investment” in making affordable high-speed internet available to all Americans by 2030.
The funding for this endeavor is made possible through the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) program, established as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, a comprehensive legislation enacted two years ago with a budget of $1.2 trillion.
Under the plan, each state will receive a minimum of $107 million to support the project, with 19 states receiving over $1 billion. Texas will be granted the largest share of funding at $3.3 billion, followed by California with $1.9 billion, Missouri with $1.7 billion, and Michigan with $1.6 billion.
According to CNBC, over 8.5 million homes and small businesses, representing more than 7% of the U.S. population, currently lack access to high-speed internet, which is defined by the government as download speeds below 25 megabits per second (Mbps) and upload speeds below 3 Mbps.
White House officials highlighted the magnitude of this ambitious broadband initiative, drawing comparisons to Franklin D. Roosevelt’s efforts in the 1930s to bring electricity to rural areas of America.
Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo commented on the plan, stating, “Whether it’s connecting people to the digital economy, manufacturing fiber optic cable in America, or creating good-paying jobs building internet infrastructure in the states, the investments we’re announcing will increase our competitiveness and spur economic growth across the country for years to come.”
The White House described the initiative as “the biggest investment in high-speed internet. Ever.” In a tweet, they expressed the hope that this initiative would deliver on its promises.
