Funding

By:  Will Arbuckle, Senior Policy Advisor, NTIA

The $42.45 billion Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program aims to connect 25 million Americans currently without high-speed Internet access. Building these broadband networks on time and at scale across 56 states and territories will require tens of thousands of broadband construction workers: from network designers to pole surveyors, from locators to drill operators, from general laborers to fiber splicers.

By: Margaret Gutierrez, Division Chief for the Tribal Broadband Connectivity and Nation-to-Nation Coordination Division, and Angela Thi Bennett, Digital Equity Director, Office of Internet Connectivity and Growth, NTIA

NTIA will host a webinar to highlight the work of the Digital Equity Program over the year and reflect on major milestones. Participants will discuss some of the digital equity research NTIA has conducted and the importance of data in guiding investments to promote digital equity in your communities. Finally, it will feature the work of the Digital Equity Leaders Network and new ways NTIA will support its grantees while continuing to engage with and provide resources to all digital equity leaders.

NTIA has reached a major milestone on the road to connecting everyone in America to affordable, reliable high-speed Internet service. As of today, all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the five territories participating in the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program have approved Internet for All plans.  

These plans outline how each state and territory will connect every one of their residents to the Internet.