President Joe Biden has made a bold promise to ensure that every American has access to high-speed internet by 2030. To achieve this, he plans to allocate $42.5 billion in funding to states through the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program (BEAD), which was approved in 2021 by Congress as part of the infrastructure bill.
The amount of funding each state receives will be determined by the number of unserved locations and jurisdictions with internet speeds below 100 Mbps. Interestingly, Texas, known for its fast internet speeds, will receive the largest share of funding at $3.1 billion. California, on the other hand, which ranks poorly in terms of internet speeds, will receive the second highest amount of funding at $1.9 billion.
According to Wise Voter, Maryland, Virginia, and Washington DC currently boast the fastest internet speeds in the country. In contrast, Montana, South Dakota, and California have the slowest speeds. This discrepancy can be attributed to factors such as higher-income individuals being more likely to purchase high-speed service packages and internet providers offering better services in wealthier cities compared to economically disadvantaged areas.
The allocation of funds across states ranges from $27 million to over $3.3 billion, with each state receiving a minimum of $107 million. Approximately 19 states are set to receive over $1 billion, with the top 10 recipients being Alabama, California, Georgia, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri, North Carolina, Texas, Virginia, and Washington.
White House chief of staff Jeff Zients expressed the significance of this initiative, comparing it to President Franklin Roosevelt’s efforts in 1936 to bring electricity to rural America. Broadband companies like Verizon, Comcast, Charter Communications, and AT&T have been reluctant to extend their services to low-population rural communities due to the costly investments and the limited number of potential subscribers. However, the lack of broadband access became a pressing issue during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly with the widespread shift to online schooling.
States are expected to submit their initial plans later this year to unlock 20% of the funding. The remaining funds will be released once the plans are finalized, which could take until 2025. As part of the program’s rules, states must prioritize connecting areas that currently lack internet access before focusing on underserved areas and community anchor institutions like schools and libraries.
Wise Voter has also provided data on the average download speeds for each state. Maryland currently holds the top spot with an average speed of 506.70 Mbps, followed by Virginia with 505.60 Mbps and Washington, D.C. with 473.80 Mbps. Conversely, California has the slowest average internet speed in the country at just 93 Mbps. Reports indicate that 301 school districts within the state have slow internet speeds, out of a total of around 940 districts.
While there are disparities in internet speeds across the country, efforts are being made to bridge the gap. Maryland, for example, partnered with Verizon and the FCC to deploy high-speed fiber optic broadband internet service to rural parts of the state. This initiative has provided thousands of households and businesses with access to fast internet.
It’s worth noting that Alaska, previously the state with the slowest internet speeds, has made significant improvements in recent years, possibly due to the launch of Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite internet service.
Denial of responsibility! VigourTimes is an automatic aggregator of Global media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, and all materials to their authors. For any complaint, please reach us at – [email protected]. We will take necessary action within 24 hours.
