What States Should Know as Federal Digital Equity Money Arrives
Source: Government Technology by Zack Quaintance
The White House has taken its first steps toward distributing $45 billion of federal money aimed at getting the entire country connected to high-speed Internet, with President Biden inviting governors this month to start applying for these funds.
This is the first injection of funding through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), which has $65 billion total for broadband, an unprecedented and historical amount of money that essentially means the U.S. government has acknowledged high-speed Internet is now a utility. Ultimately, this money must pass through state government agencies to reach the community level, where it has the highest potential to help people get computers, Internet connections and affordable monthly rates.
A challenge nationwide, however, is that with the exception of a few examples — North Carolina and Washington, namely — state governments have until recently lacked broadband offices or even a single full-time employee dedicated to the work, said Angela Siefer, executive director of the National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA). Many have added resources after the pandemic made it clear how important it was to have unfettered access to high-speed Internet, but most states remain understaffed or under-experienced.