The White House reportedly announced Monday that it plans to spend up to $42 billion to roll out internet access across the country by 2030. Reuters. The effort is part of President Joe Biden’s new economic agenda and part of his 2024 re-election campaign.
“Today, 24 million people in our country do not have access to high-speed internet, either because they cannot afford the monthly cost of a plan or because they live in areas where fiber optic networks are not yet fully connected. Vice President Kamala Harris said in a statement. “Everyone in our country should have access to high-speed internet and afford it, regardless of where they live.”
The funding was made possible by a broadband equity access and adoption program authorized by the Trillion Dollar Infrastructure Act of 2021 endorsed by President Biden. Funding decisions were based on the Federal Communications Commission’s recently released coverage map, which identifies areas with limited broadband access.
Broadband companies such as Verizon, Comcast, Charter Communications and AT&T are reluctant to provide access to sparsely populated rural areas due to high costs and the limited number of potential subscribers in these areas. I hesitated.
The biggest recipients of funding are the nation’s most populous states, Texas and California, at $3.1 billion and $1.9 billion respectively. Less populous states such as Virginia, Alabama, and Louisiana also made the top 10 funding list because they have large rural areas that lack internet connectivity compared to large urban centers. Funding amounts ranged from $27 million in U.S. territories such as the U.S. Virgin Islands to over $3.1 billion in Texas. Each state will receive a minimum of $107 million.
President Biden stressed the importance of the investment in his White House speech on Monday, saying it was the largest investment ever made in high-speed internet. He emphasized that internet access is as important as electricity and running water in today’s economy.
