First State Times

WILMINGTON, Del. – Governor John Carney and Lt. Governor Bethany Hall-Long on Monday announced $107 million in federal funding to reach our goal of connecting every Delaware home and business to high-speed internet.

Funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) is a federal grant program that aims to get all Americans online by supporting partnerships between states or territories, communities, and stakeholders to build infrastructure where needed and increase adoption of high-speed internet. BEAD prioritizes reaching unserved locations that have no internet access or have internet speeds under 25/3 Mbps, with the next priority being underserved locations that have internet speeds under 100/20 Mbps.

Reaching homes involves running high-speed fiber or deploying other technologies into areas that internet service companies have not previously served because there were too few customers. Once broadband infrastructure is in place, local residents can subscribe to high-speed internet the way most residents have for years. Delaware is currently in the process connecting more than 6,000 homes and businesses over 18 months – with 3,100 already complete – using prior federal funding from President Biden’s American Rescue Plan Act.

“Once we reach the 6,000 addresses currently under way, there will still be nearly 15,000 Delaware homes and businesses – mostly in the rural areas of our state – that either have no access to internet or access below useable levels. Those 15,000 homes and businesses are the ones that will be helped by this $107 million BEAD investment,” said Governor Carney. “We are aiming to be the first state in the country with broadband access for every resident, as our President works to connect every home in the country to high-speed internet eventually. I want to thank the federal delegation and the Biden Administration for their advocacy for these funds.”

In 2021, President Biden delivered the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, a once-in-a-generation commitment to improving roads, bridges, transit, water and wastewater systems, broadband, energy and other infrastructure areas.

“Somewhere in Delaware right now there’s a child without access to online educational learning; a mom without a job and no way to research prospects; and a neighbor with no way to check in on their extended family. That should never be anyone’s reality. Like a digital railroad track, broadband internet access is the connector to jobs, opportunities, and support away from home. This recent investment in high-quality broadband is just another way to close the digital divide and ensure every Delawarean is successful and thriving,” said Lt. Governor Bethany Hall-Long.

 “We cannot overstate the importance of having high-speed internet in every Delaware home. An internet connection is a lifeline to exploring more job options, pursuing educational opportunities, and staying well through telehealth access — to name just a few examples,” said Delaware Broadband Office Executive Director Roddy Flynn. “Our office hears every day from constituents who feel they are being left behind because they do not have access, or simply cannot afford, high-speed internet service. With the BEAD investment, our goal is to make sure every Delawarean can take full advantage of the benefits of digital society.”

“The pandemic showed all of us just how necessary it is for every home to have access to reliable internet,” said Senators Carper and Coons and Representative Blunt Rochester. “Thanks to the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) initiative, made possible only through President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Delawareans in every corner of the state will gain access to a quality internet connection. No longer will where someone chooses to make their physical home limit their access to the digital landscape.”

More details on Delaware Broadband Plan are available at https://gis.broadband.delaware.gov/, where Delawareans without internet or with lower speed address should make sure they are listed for eventual service.  

Original Source can be found here.